WORK AND PENSIONS

Apprentices

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what discussions he and Ministers in his Department have had with Ministers in the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills on the proposed reform of apprenticeships; what effect those discussions will have on his Department's projects and the work of their supply chain; and whether officials in his Department sit on programme boards managing the reform.

Mark Harper: The Secretary of State or his Ministers have not had any specific discussions with Ministers in the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills solely about the proposed reform of apprenticeships. Neither are any of the Department's officials sitting on programme boards managing the reform.

Employment: Hearing Impairment

Stephen McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what guidance his Department issues on the funding and allocation of support for deaf people in work;
	(2)  what financial support his Department provides to deaf people in work while they await a decision on their Access to Work budget;
	(3)  what communication support his Department provides for deaf people who are (a) in work or (b) actively seeking work;
	(4)  what additional support his Department makes available for deaf people whose Access to Work budgets do not cover the support they require to carry out their work.

Mark Harper: Access to Work provides practical and financial support with the additional costs faced by individuals whose health or disability affects the way they do their job. The support provided is tailored to individuals needs and can include travel to work, support workers, and specialist aids and equipment. Access to Work does not replace the duty an employer has under the Equality Act to make reasonable adjustments. Instead it provides support that is over and above that which is a reasonable adjustment. Access to Work can pay for communication support workers and British Sign Language (BSL) interpreters where these are required to enable deaf people to work.
	Access to Work is delivered by Jobcentre Plus in accordance with Department for Work and Pensions Access to Work guidance. The amount of help an individual may receive from Access to Work depends on their individual needs and personal circumstances. The award will also vary depending on how long they have been employed, what support they need, the size of the employer and whether they are self-employed.
	The Department does not provide alternative financial support for communication for deaf people who are in work.
	Where necessary, the Department can provide British Sign Language interpreters and in some cases other non-spoken language interpreters to enable deaf people to communicate with our staff and to participate in job interviews. Where it is appropriate and where they are able to do so, deaf people and people with hearing impairments can utilise lip reading in face-to-face communications. The Department also provides induction loops and text phones. Our staff can also communicate by e-mail or through a representative, with the claimant’s permission.

Flexible Support Fund

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much has been spent on the Flexible Support Fund in each region of the UK in each year since it was introduced.

Mark Harper: Expenditure on Flexible Support Fund (FSF) since it was introduced in each year is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  £ million 
			 2011-12 70.2 
			 2012-13 125.0 
			 2013-14 106.2 
			 2014-15 1— 
			 1 This information is not currently for release as the data is subject to audit and change. 
		
	
	The FSF expenditure is only captured at a national level, not across UK regions, this information is not readily available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Incapacity Benefit

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the recorded primary medical condition of incapacity benefits reassessment claimants, where the outcome of the assessment was Fit for Work, were in each of the last three years; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Harper: The information requested on incapacity benefits reassessments is shown in the following table:
	
		
			 Number of incapacity benefits reassessments with a Fit for Work outcome split into International Classification of Diseases (2010) Condition Groups 
			 Number 
			 Date Disabling condition groups Fit for Work decisions 
			 Autumn 2010 (trial areas) Certain Infectious and Parasitic Diseases — 
			  Neoplasms — 
			  Diseases of the Blood and Blood forming organs and certain diseases involving the immune mechanism — 
		
	
	
		
			  Endocrine, Nutritional and Metabolic Diseases — 
			  Mental and Behavioural Disorders 200 
			  Diseases of the Nervous System — 
			  Diseases of the Eye and Adnexa — 
			  Diseases of the Ear and Mastoid Process — 
			  Diseases of the Circulatory System — 
			  Diseases of the Respiratory System — 
			  Diseases of the Digestive System — 
			  Diseases of the Skin and Subcutaneous System — 
			  Diseases of the Musculoskeletal system and Connective Tissue 100 
			  Diseases of the Genitourinary System — 
			  Pregnancy, Childbirth and the Puerperium — 
			  Certain conditions originating in the perinatal period — 
			  Congenital Malformations, Deformations and Chromosomal Abnormalities — 
			  Symptoms, Signs and Abnormal Clinical and Laboratory findings, not elsewhere classified — 
			  Injury, Poisoning and certain other consequences of external causes — 
			  Factors influencing health status and contact with health services — 
			  Not recorded — 
			  Total 400 
			    
			 March 2011 to September 2011 Certain Infectious and Parasitic Diseases 400 
			  Neoplasms 500 
			  Diseases of the Blood and Blood forming organs and certain diseases involving the immune mechanism 100 
			  Endocrine, Nutritional and Metabolic Diseases 700 
			  Mental and Behavioural Disorders 30,000 
			  Diseases of the Nervous System 2,000 
			  Diseases of the Eye and Adnexa 200 
			  Diseases of the Ear and Mastoid Process 200 
			  Diseases of the Circulatory System 2,000 
			  Diseases of the Respiratory System 800 
			  Diseases of the Digestive System 900 
			  Diseases of the Skin and Subcutaneous System 400 
			  Diseases of the Musculoskeletal system and Connective Tissue 13,000 
			  Diseases of the Genitourinary System 400 
		
	
	
		
			  Pregnancy, Childbirth and the Puerperium 100 
			  Certain conditions originating in the perinatal period — 
			  Congenital Malformations, Deformations and Chromosomal Abnormalities — 
			  Symptoms, Signs and Abnormal Clinical and Laboratory findings, not elsewhere classified 6,700 
			  Injury, Poisoning and certain other consequences of external causes 4,000 
			  Factors influencing health status and contact with health services 500 
			  Not recorded — 
			  Total 62,900 
			    
			 October 2011 to September 2012 Certain Infectious and Parasitic Diseases 700 
			  Neoplasms 900 
			  Diseases of the Blood and Blood forming organs and certain diseases involving the immune mechanism 200 
			  Endocrine, Nutritional and Metabolic Diseases 1,400 
			  Mental and Behavioural Disorders 56,400 
			  Diseases of the Nervous System 3,800 
			  Diseases of the Eye and Adnexa 300 
			  Diseases of the Ear and Mastoid Process 400 
			  Diseases of the Circulatory System 3,700 
			  Diseases of the Respiratory System 1,500 
			  Diseases of the Digestive System 1,800 
			  Diseases of the Skin and Subcutaneous System 800 
			  Diseases of the Musculoskeletal system and Connective Tissue 26,300 
			  Diseases of the Genitourinary System 700 
			  Pregnancy, Childbirth and the Puerperium 100 
			  Certain conditions originating in the perinatal period — 
			  Congenital Malformations, Deformations and Chromosomal Abnormalities — 
			  Symptoms, Signs and Abnormal Clinical and Laboratory findings, not elsewhere classified 13,200 
			  Injury, Poisoning and certain other consequences of external causes 8,000 
			  Factors influencing health status and contact with health services 1,000 
			  Not recorded — 
			  Total 121,400 
			    
		
	
	
		
			 October 2012 to September 2013 Certain Infectious and Parasitic Diseases 500 
			  Neoplasms 600 
			  Diseases of the Blood and Blood forming organs and certain diseases involving the immune mechanism 100 
			  Endocrine, Nutritional and Metabolic Diseases 800 
			  Mental and Behavioural Disorders 24,900 
			  Diseases of the Nervous System 2,200 
			  Diseases of the Eye and Adnexa 300 
			  Diseases of the Ear and Mastoid Process 300 
			  Diseases of the Circulatory System 2,200 
			  Diseases of the Respiratory System 900 
			  Diseases of the Digestive System 1,000 
			  Diseases of the Skin and Subcutaneous System 500 
			  Diseases of the Musculoskeletal system and Connective Tissue 16,600 
			  Diseases of the Genitourinary System 400 
			  Pregnancy, Childbirth and the Puerperium 100 
			  Certain conditions originating in the perinatal period — 
			  Congenital Malformations, Deformations and Chromosomal Abnormalities — 
			  Symptoms, Signs and Abnormal Clinical and Laboratory findings, not elsewhere classified 7,700 
			  Injury, Poisoning and certain other consequences of external causes 4,800 
			  Factors influencing health status and contact with health services 700 
			  Not recorded — 
			  Total 64,700 
			 Notes: 1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 100. “—“denotes nil or under 50. Totals may not sum due to the rounding method used. 2. Disabling condition groups are based on the International Classification of Diseases (2010). 3. Data is given up to 30 September 2013, which is the latest data available. 4. The outcome recorded is the final DWP decision maker’s decision or the recommendation made by the Atos Healthcare professional where the decision maker’s decision is not yet available. 5. The data presented above comes from benefit claims data held by the Department for Work and Pensions. In October 2008, ESA replaced IB for new claims. Starting with a trial in October 2010, and reaching a full scale national roll-out in April 2011, existing IB claims began to be phased out, with claimants reassessed to see if they qualify for ESA instead. 6. The reassessment of existing incapacity benefits claimants was rolled out nationally from April 2011 and therefore a full three years worth of data cannot be provided. Source: Data in the table above is derived from administrative data held by the DWP and assessment data provided by Atos Healthcare.

Independent Living Fund

Margaret Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will take steps to retain the Independent Living Fund and continue access for new claimants.

Mark Harper: On 6 March 2014 the Government announced that the Independent Living Fund (ILF) would close in June 2015 with responsibility and funding transferred to local authorities in England and the devolved Administrations in Scotland and Wales. Funding for Northern Ireland is already a matter for the Northern Ireland administration which is currently consulting on the best way to support users living there. The ILF has been closed to new applications since 2010.

Independent Living Fund

Margaret Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the performance of the Independent Living Fund.

Mark Harper: There is a legislative requirement for the Independent Living Fund Annual Report and Accounts to be laid by the Secretary of State before Parliament each year. The report is published on GOV.UK:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/independent-living-fund-annual-report-and-accounts-2013-to-2014

Jobcentre Plus

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent assessment he has made of the security of staff at Jobcentre Plus offices.

Steve Webb: The Department keeps security arrangements under constant review, amending these in the light of prevailing circumstances, and taking account of advice from the relevant security authorities. Beyond this, for obvious reasons, it would not be appropriate to comment further.

New Enterprise Allowance

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many businesses have been created with help from the New Enterprise Allowance; and how many of those businesses have sustained operations for more than 52 weeks.

Mark Harper: holding answer 8 September 2014
	Latest statistics show that since the launch of New Enterprise Allowance (NEA) in 2011 to the end of March 2014, there were 46,000 NEA weekly allowance claims. The weekly allowance is payable when the participant closes their claim to benefits and commences trading which is a proxy measure for business starts created by the scheme.
	We do not have data on the numbers of NEA businesses trading for 52 weeks. However, an analysis of the benefit status of NEA participants, published in 2013, highlighted that of 3,000 people who took part in the scheme in the first year, 78% had remained off benefit continuously for 52 weeks after claiming the NEA weekly allowance.

Personal Independence Payment

Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when a decision will be made on the application made in November 2013 by Mrs Staltmeier of Christchurch for a personal independence payment.

Mark Harper: The Department cannot respond to the House of Commons with regards to a specific case. I will write to my hon. Friend.

Poverty Truth Commission

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what discussions his Department has had with the Poverty Truth Commission.

Mark Harper: Ministers and officials continuously engage with a wide range of organisations to help shape and inform policies.
	Checking whether any member of staff from across the Department for Work and Pensions has held any discussions with the Poverty Truth Commission would involve disproportionate cost.

Social Security Benefits

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the current level of the benefit cap; and if he will make a statement.

Steve Webb: I refer the hon. Member to the written answer given by the Minister for Employment which was provided to the hon. Member for North West Leicestershire (Andrew Bridgen), on 1 September 2014, Official Report, column 41W.

Social Security Benefits: Greater Manchester

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many benefit sanctions on the grounds of (a) not actively seeking employment, (b) refusal of employment, (c) failure to attend a mandatory interview, (d) failure to participate in work-related activity and (e) non-compliance with a jobseeker’s direction were received by claimants in (i) Denton and Reddish constituency, (ii) Tameside local authority and (iii) Stockport local authority between (A) April 2011 and March 2012 and (B) April 2013 and March 2014.

Mark Harper: The available information as requested is shown in the table below.
	
		
			 Number of adverse benefit sanctions applied in Denton and Reddish parliamentary constituency, Tameside local authority, Stockport local authority by referral reason 
			  April 2011 to March 2012 April 2013 to March 2014 
			 Denton and Reddish   
			 Failure to attend a mandatory interview 390 410 
			 Non-compliance with a jobseeker’s direction 30 20 
			 Not actively seeking employment 160 520 
		
	
	
		
			 Failure to participate in work-related activity 10 110 
			 Refusal of employment 60 30 
			    
			 Stockport   
			 Failure to attend a mandatory interview 1,080 800 
			 Non-compliance with a jobseeker’s direction 20 70 
			 Not actively seeking employment 430 920 
			 Failure to participate in work-related activity 10 280 
			 Refusal of employment 150 20 
			    
			 Tameside   
			 Failure to attend a mandatory interview 1,240 1,110 
			 Non-compliance with a jobseeker’s direction 150 60 
			 Not actively seeking employment 530 1,790 
			 Failure to participate in work-related activity 10 280 
			 Refusal of employment 250 80 
			 Notes: 1. Figures have been rounded to the nearest 10. 2. Data provided is up to March 2014 which is the latest available. 3. The number of benefit sanctions applied is the number of sanction or disallowance referrals where the decision was found against the claimant for those in receipt of jobseeker’s allowance (JSA), employment and support allowance (ESA) in the work-related activity group, or income support (lone parents). 4. The following reasons for referral apply to JSA only: not actively seeking employment; refusal of employment; non-compliance with a jobseeker’s direction. 5. Refusal of employment is defined as follows: refusal or failure to apply for, or accept if offered, a job which an employment officer has informed him/her is vacant or about to become vacant without good reason. 6. Failure to attend a mandatory interview includes: failure to attend a mandatory interview for ESA claimants, failure to attend/participate in a work focused interview for ISLP claimants and failure to attend an adviser interview for JSA claimants. 7. Failure to participate in work-related activity applies to ESA claimants in the work-related activity group only. 8. New sanctions rules came into force for JSA from 22 October 2012 and for ESA from 3 December 2012. The number of JSA sanctions applied for the new regime is the number of low, intermediate and high level referrals where the decision was found against the claimant. Further information can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/jobseekers-allowance-overview-of-sanctions-rules 9. New regulations for ISLP claimants came into force on 28 April 2014. An explanation of the full regulations is provided below and can be found at: http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2014/1097/contents/made 10. This information for JSA and ESA sanctions is published at: https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/ Sources: 1. (JSA and ESA): DWP Statistical Services: Sanctions and Disallowance Decisions Statistics Database. 2. (IS): Income Support Computer System. 
		
	
	
		
			 Number of adverse benefit sanctions applied in Denton and Reddish parliamentary constituency, Tameside local authority, Stockport local authority by referral reason 
			  April 2011 to March 2012 April 2013 to March 2014 
			 Denton and Reddish   
			 Failure to attend a mandatory interview 390 410 
			 Non-compliance with a jobseeker’s direction 30 20 
			 Not actively seeking employment 160 520 
			 Failure to participate in work-related activity 10 110 
			 Refusal of employment 60 30 
			    
			 Stockport   
			 Failure to attend a mandatory interview 1,080 800 
			 Non-compliance with a jobseeker’s direction 20 70 
			 Not actively seeking employment 430 920 
			 Failure to participate in work-related activity 10 280 
			 Refusal of employment 150 20 
			    
			 Tameside   
			 Failure to attend a mandatory interview 1,240 1,110 
			 Non-compliance with a jobseeker’s direction 150 60 
			 Not actively seeking employment 530 1,790 
			 Failure to participate in work-related activity 10 280 
			 Refusal of employment 250 80 
			 Notes: 1. Figures have been rounded to the nearest 10. 2. Data provided is up to March 2014 which is the latest available. 3. The number of benefit sanctions applied is the number of sanction or disallowance referrals where the decision was found against the claimant for those in receipt of jobseeker’s allowance (JSA), employment and support allowance (ESA) in the work-related activity group, or income support (lone parents). 4. The following reasons for referral apply to JSA only: not actively seeking employment; refusal of employment; non-compliance with a jobseeker’s direction. 5. Refusal of employment is defined as follows: refusal or failure to apply for, or accept if offered, a job which an employment officer has informed him/her is vacant or about to become vacant without good reason. 6. Failure to attend a mandatory interview includes: failure to attend a mandatory interview for ESA claimants, failure to attend/participate in a work focused interview for ISLP claimants and failure to attend an adviser interview for JSA claimants. 7. Failure to participate in work-related activity applies to ESA claimants in the work-related activity group only. 8. New sanctions rules came into force for JSA from 22 October 2012 and for ESA from 3 December 2012. The number of JSA sanctions applied for the new regime is the number of low, intermediate and high level referrals where the decision was found against the claimant. Further information can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/jobseekers-allowance-overview-of-sanctions-rules 9. New regulations for ISLP claimants came into force on 28 April 2014. An explanation of the full regulations is provided below and can be found at: http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2014/1097/contents/made 10. This information for JSA and ESA sanctions is published at: https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/ Sources: 1. (JSA and ESA): DWP Statistical Services: Sanctions and Disallowance Decisions Statistics Database. 2. (IS): Income Support Computer System.

Telecommunications: Disability

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps his Department has taken to ensure that it communicates with deafblind people in accessible ways, including information about preferred means of communication and sending information in the formats requested by deafblind claimants.

Mark Harper: DWP provides support to all claimants and customers who have specific communication needs in order to allow them full access to our services. DWP can provide British Sign Language (BSL) interpreters or other communicator support, which includes Deafblind Communicators, to customers or claimants who are deaf, hard of hearing or speech impaired. The Department’s staff also undertake diversity and equality learning to raise awareness and help them understand the issues faced by disabled claimants, including those who are deaf or hearing impaired, and provide individual support as required.
	Requests for information to be provided in an alternative format are tailored to the personal needs of the individual and will depend on which benefit is being claimed or which service is being used. The support offered by DWP includes a variety of communication methods: face to face contact on our premises; home visits; telephony; online services; and written communications in alternative formats such as Braille. DWP staff can also communicate by e-mail or through a claimant’s representative or intermediary. A request for an alternative format from an individual will be detailed on the customer’s record of the appropriate benefit system to ensure requests are carried out.
	This Department is committed to continuously improving claimant access to benefits and services. DWP officials are currently reviewing the processes we have in place for providing information in alternative formats to see what improvements can be made.

Training

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much was spent per head on training staff of his Department in (a) 2010-11, (b) 2011-12, (c) 2012-13 and (d) 2013-14.

Steve Webb: The Department is fully committed to the development of its staff by investing in learning to create a highly skilled, motivated and flexible workforce. The Department fully supports the Civil Service Reform Plan commitment to provide at least five days a year investment in learning and development for all Civil Servants. Further learning activity has been generated by the DWP Annual Skills Review, the development of a departmental Capability Plan and an increased training requirement necessary to support the DWP Welfare Reform agenda.
	The Departmental spend per head is shown below and has been calculated by dividing the total annual spend for DWP by the staff in post figure for the years in question.
	(a) 2010-11—£110.40
	(b) 2011-12—£85.27
	(c) 2012-13—£58.80
	(d) 2013-14—£91.32

Welfare State: Northern Ireland

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on how many occasions his Department has had discussions with the Social Development Department in Northern Ireland on the implementation of the welfare reforms in Northern Ireland.

Mark Harper: Northern Ireland is responsible for its own social security, pensions and child support systems. Therefore, the enactment and implementation of the welfare reforms in Northern Ireland is a matter for the Northern Ireland Executive. However, I can confirm that my officials and I continue to work closely with the Social Development Department.

Welfare State: Reform

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what progress has been made in the implementation of his overall welfare reforms in the last six months; and what progress he expects to be made in the next six months.

Mark Harper: holding answer 5 September 2014
	This Government has made significant progress in implementing the most far-reaching programme of welfare reforms for a generation. We have
	Launched Universal Credit, the biggest change to the welfare system in a generation, in April 2013. Currently operating in 38 areas. It will be available in 90—or one in eight—of the country's jobcentres by the end of the year.
	Rolled out the household ‘Benefit Cap’, which ensures families do not receive more benefits than the average family earns. In total, more than 42,000 households had their benefits capped by March 2014. Almost 6,000 households who have had their benefits capped have moved into work. The policy is expected to save £110 million in 2014/15.
	Returned fairness to housing benefit by ‘stopping paying housing benefit for spare rooms’. The policy is already saving taxpayers over £1 million a day.
	‘Auto enrolled 3.6 million people into a workplace pension’—saving for the first time or saving more for retirement.
	Launched the ‘Child Maintenance Service’ to replace the failing Child Support Agency, introducing it first in December 2012 for parents of four or more children, in July 2013 for parents of two or more children, and since November 2013 to all separated parents.
	Brought how claimants find work into the 21st century by launching ‘Universal Jobmatch’, rather than just leaving jobseekers to manage with old-fashioned job boards and vacancy printouts.
	Implemented the ‘Work Programme’—the biggest single payment by results employment programme Britain has ever seen—which has helped around 300,000 long-term unemployed off benefits and into sustained work—more than previous schemes.
	Introduced the ‘Claimant Commitment’ in all British jobcentres, spelling out what we expect from jobseekers when they search for work, resetting the relationship between benefit claimants and Jobcentre Plus help.
	Started the phased introduction of ‘Personal Independence Payment’ on time and on budget in April last year.
	Rolled out the biggest ever campaign to help disabled people into work—‘Disability Confident’—breaking down barriers and boosting employers confidence and dispelling myths.
	We are implementing these major reforms in a careful and gradual way, testing and learning as we move forward. This is the right approach. All this while we have cut DWP costs by £2 billion a year compared to 2009-10. In total, our welfare reforms are set to save £50 billion over this Parliament.

Work Capability Assessments

Richard Graham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what process is in place for the transition from Atos to another provider for work capability assessments; how will this be communicated to employment and support allowance claimants; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Harper: The Department will work very closely with the new provider and Atos during the transition period to ensure a smooth and effective handover of services, including the staff and infrastructure that will move from Atos to the new provider. The process for claimants will remain the same during the transition and so claimants should continue to attend their assessments. We are considering the communications to claimants as part of the transition plan.

TREASURY

Business: Taxation

Jim Shannon: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many small and medium-sized businesses have been subject to an HM Revenue and Customs tax review in each of the last three years; and in how many cases such a review has revealed significant errors in the accounts of such a business.

David Gauke: The information requested is not centrally held and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) do not use the term ‘tax review’ as such our management information systems do not record this information. Compliance interventions in respect of Small and Medium Enterprises are carried out across a range of HMRC Directorates and can relate to any tax regime.
	HMRC do not use the term ‘significant error’ as such our management information systems do not record this information.

Business: Taxation

Jim Shannon: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many HM Revenue and Customs tax reviews of large companies have revealed instances of significant evasion in each of the last three years.

David Gauke: HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) is active in assessing and tackling the risks of evasion, avoidance and error among large businesses. HMRC's Large Business directorate supports work to tackle fraud within supply chains, as well as monitoring the behaviour of large businesses themselves.
	Precise numbers giving the information in the form requested is not centrally held and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Child Benefit

Richard Burden: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the saving to the public purse will be from the removal of child benefit for households where one parent earns £50,000; and what estimate he has made of the increase in administration costs arising from such a policy.

David Gauke: The estimated annual fiscal saving as a result of the high income child benefit charge has been published by HM Treasury and the Office for Budget Responsibility at fiscal events.
	The administrative costs of the high income child benefit charge were included in the National Audit Office 20/12-13 HMRC Standard Report:
	http://www.nao.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/10174-001_HMRC_Standard-report.pdf

Listed Buildings: VAT

Matthew Offord: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate his Department has made of the money accrued to the public purse through VAT paid on the repair and maintenance of protected buildings.

David Gauke: No estimate has been made. Data is not available on the VAT paid on repairs and maintenance to protected buildings as this is not itemised separately on VAT returns.

Listed Buildings: VAT

Matthew Offord: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate his Department has made of the money accrued to the public purse through VAT paid on approved alterations to protected buildings in each of the last five years.

David Gauke: Data is not available on the VAT paid on approved alterations to protected buildings as this is not itemised separately on VAT returns.

Mobile Phones

Stephen Barclay: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer with reference to the statement by the Chief Secretary to the Treasury, reported in The Sunday Times on 31 August 2014, what provision will be made in the autumn statement 2014 to double the funding for tackling mobile blackspots; and what criteria will be used to decide which locations will benefit from that funding.

Danny Alexander: The Government is taking action to improve mobile coverage across the UK. For example, the Mobile Infrastructure Project, first announced in October 2011, provides £150 million for the building of additional mobile phone masts to provide coverage in areas which are poorly served.
	The Chancellor has announced that autumn statement this year will be on 3 December. Full details of autumn statement announcements will be announced at that time.

National Savings and Investments

Ian Davidson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how many people are employed in (a) the UK, (b) Scotland and (c) each Scottish parliamentary constituency by sub-contractors or agencies working on behalf of National Savings and Investments;
	(2)  how many people are employed by National Savings and Investments in (a) the UK, (b) Scotland and (c) each Scottish parliamentary constituency.

Andrea Leadsom: National Savings and Investments employ 165 people, of whom eight work in Scotland. National Savings and Investment’s (NS&I) operational services are provided by Atos, with 1,528 FTE (Full Time Equivalent) people employed across the UK as of 13 August. Of these, 1,074 FTE are permanent staff, 430 FTE are agency staff (varied on demand) and 24 FTE are IT contractors from SOPRA. At present NS&I and Atos work at one office in Scotland at Cowglen (Constituency: Glasgow South) but will be moving to two new offices: Capella (Constituency: Glasgow Central) and Orbital (Constituencies: East Kilbride, Strathaven and Lesmahagow) in the near future.
	The building at Cowglen is much larger than the current headcount of staff requires according to Government space standards. Our two new sites will provide for the anticipated future needs of NS&I operations in Glasgow.
	With the introduction of the ‘Savings bonds for the 65s and over’ in January 2015 there will be a temporary increase in the number of staff to handle peak demand. Exact numbers are yet to be finalised and are still under discussion but some of these will be based in Glasgow Capella and Orbital.
	The headcount and geographical breakdown as of 13 August 2014 is as follows:
	
		
			 Staff (all numbers Full Time Equivalent) 
			   Scotland, by constituency 
			  UK Cowglen (Glasgow South) current Capella (Glasgow Central) near future Orbital (East Kilbride, Strathaven and Lesmahagow) near future 
			 NS&I 165 8 8 0 
			      
			 Atos 11,074 1471 1340 1131 
			  2430 2188 2168 221 
			  324 — — — 
			 1 Permanent 2 Agency 3 Contractors (SOPRA)

Objects in Lieu of Tax

Andrew Smith: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the total value of works of art accepted in lieu of inheritance tax was in each of the last five years.

Edward Vaizey: As the Minister of State for Culture and the Digital Economy I have been asked to reply.
	The total value of items accepted under the Acceptance-in-Lieu Scheme for the last five years is as follows:
	
		
			  £ million 
			 2009 19.8 
			 2010 15.7 
			 2011 8.3 
			 2012 31.3 
			 2013 149.4 
			 1 Includes the first item accepted under the Cultural Gifts Scheme which operates from the same budget as the Acceptance-in-Lieu Scheme.

Oil: Excise Duties

Simon Hart: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how much has been disbursed to oil supply companies for the repayment of duty on petrol subject to vapour recovery since January 2013;
	(2)  how many Excise Payment Security Systems have been approved for retail petrol filling stations in 2014;
	(3)  whether the Excise Payment Security System has been approved for use by individual retail petrol filling stations; and if he will make a statement.

Priti Patel: Oil companies account for the repayment of duty on petrol subject to the vapour recovery process in their monthly duty return, so there is no disbursement by HMRC to these companies.
	Eligibility for the Excise Payment Security System does not apply to or exclude particular sectors; criteria are published by HMRC, and apply to all applicants. I can confirm that EPSS approval has been granted to petrol retailers in 2014.

Thames Tideway Tunnel

Charlie Elphicke: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the full burden of (a) demand, (b) construction and (c) availability risk for the Thames Tideway Tunnel project has been transferred from the Government to Thames Tideway Tunnel Limited; and what the effect of each such transfer has been on the UK national balance sheet under the guidance given in ESA 95 Manual Chapters VI.4 and VI.5.

Danny Alexander: The Thames Tideway Tunnel is a private sector project. The Government has never been responsible for ‘the full burden’ of the project referred to in the question. Until 5 June, Thames Water Utilities Ltd had full responsibility for the project.
	On 5 June, the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs tabled a Written Ministerial Statement informing the House that the Government had Specified the Thames Tideway Tunnel project, in accordance with the Water Industry (Specified Infrastructure Projects) (English Undertakers) Regulations 2013. He also issued a Preparatory Work Notice for Thames Water Utilities Ltd requiring or permitting it to do certain preparatory work in relation to the Tunnel project.
	The full statement is available here:
	http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201415/cmhansrd/cm140605/wmstext/140605m0001.htm#14060532000008
	The full notices issued on 5 June, together with the reasons for exercising these powers are available here:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/thames-tideway-tunnel-project-specification-and-preparatory-work-notices
	Specifying the project means that, other than those works described in the Preparatory Work Notice, Thames Water Utilities Ltd is prevented from undertaking the infrastructure project and is instead required to put it out to tender, by running a competitive procurement for an infrastructure provider which will finance and deliver the Tunnel that is separate from Thames Water.
	The Government is confident that both the project and the infrastructure provider will be classified to the private sector, and will not impact the public balance sheet.

HEALTH

Aspirin

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions he has had with professional medical bodies on the implications for the NHS of research on the effects of taking aspirin on the likelihood of heart attacks.

Jane Ellison: There have been no discussions between the Secretary of State for Health and professional medical bodies regarding the implications for the National Health Service of research on the effects of taking aspirin on the likelihood of heart attacks.
	In England, the current consensus is that low dose aspirin is not recommended purely for primary prevention of cardiovascular disease.

Dialysis Machines

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the effect that proposed changes to tariffs for Renal Dialysis in Monitor's 2015/16 National Tariff Payments System: Engagement on national prices consultation would have on health outcomes for kidney patients.

Jane Ellison: In July 2014, Monitor and NHS England published the 2015/16 NHS National Tariff Payment System 2015/16: Engagement documents, and subsequently began a process of engagement with the sector on draft proposals. Draft national prices were also published, seeking feedback from relevant stakeholders.
	Monitor and NHS England are currently reviewing the feedback received for the draft relative prices and carrying out further discussions about kidney dialysis with stakeholders including patient representative groups such as the National Kidney Federation. Monitor and NHS England are also seeking views from the sector via the National Tariff Advisory Group regarding the proposed prices.
	Under section 118 of the Health and Social Care Act 2012, Monitor is required to consult on the methodology used when deciding and setting national prices for National Health Service commissioned health care services. Monitor is also obliged to assess the expected financial impact on trusts of the draft proposals in accordance with section 69 of the 2012 Act. The Consultation Notice (section 118) is expected to be published in late-October along with a full financial impact assessment. The consultation period will be 28 days to allow for the sector, including patient groups, to respond.

Dialysis Machines

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions he has had with patients' groups on changes to tariffs for Renal Dialysis in Monitor's 2015/16 National Tariff Payments System: Engagement on national prices consultation.

Jane Ellison: As part of Monitor’s and NHS England’s engagement plan for the Tariff Payments System: Engagement on national prices consultation, Monitor spoke to patient representative groups and charity representative groups, including the National Kidney Federation, British Kidney Association, Polycystic Kidney Disease Charity and the Renal Association. Monitor has since arranged follow up discussions with these patient groups to discuss their feedback.
	The consultation process is designed to enable Monitor and NHS England to review the draft prices, suggested within the consultation, in light of feedback received. Monitor will continue to be in contact with these specialist renal groups prior to the publication of the final national prices, due October 2014, which will vary from the draft relative prices published in July 2014.

Disease Control

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to ensure that the decrease in incidence of (a) HIV, (b) tuberculosis and (c) malaria continues.

Jane Ellison: The Public Health Outcome Framework includes an indicator on reducing late human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) diagnosis which promotes access to testing. The Department funds the Terrence Higgins Trust to deliver the HIV Prevention England programme and this targets gay men and African communities who are at greatest risk of acquiring HIV.
	Following a period of multi-stakeholder consultation, Public Health England (PHE) and NHS England are jointly launching the Collaborative Tuberculosis Strategy for England, 2015 to 2020 in September 2014. This strategy brings together best practice in clinical care, social support and public health to strengthen tuberculosis (TB) control, leading to halving of TB incidence by 2025, to reduce health inequalities, and ultimately eliminate TB as a public health problem in England.
	Reducing the incidence of reported malaria in the UK relies on improving the uptake of preventive measures by at risk travellers. To support this, the PHE Advisory Committee for Malaria Prevention in Travellers (ACMP) produces annual national guidelines for malaria prevention in travellers from the UK which is available on the PHE website at:
	www.gov.uk/government/publications/malaria-prevention-guidelines-for-travellers-from-the-uk
	These guidelines form the basis for malaria prevention advice given to health professionals advising travellers by the PHE-commissioned National Travel Health Network and Centre (NaTHNaC) and the PHE Malaria Reference Laboratory. A PHE malaria advice leaflet is also available for patients, in English and four south Asian languages at:
	www.gov.uk/government/publications/malaria-information-for-people-travelling-overseas
	The largest proportion of malaria cases reported in the UK is in at-risk ethnic groups resident in London. The PHE London Malaria Group is working with local community groups to increase their awareness of the risk of malaria and of the need to protect their health on visits to affected countries.

Food: Crime

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the written statement of 4 September 2014, on the Elliott Review, when the Food Crime Unit will be operational.

Jane Ellison: The Food Standards Agency advises that the Food Crime Unit will be operational and the first phase will incorporate a well-developed intelligence capability by the end of 2014.

Food: Crime

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the written statement of 4 September 2014, on the Elliott Review, how many staff at each grade will be (a) recruited and (b) seconded to the Food Crime Unit.

Jane Ellison: The Food Standards Agency advises that it has already reorganised existing teams that deal with food incidents, fraud and intelligence to form the core of the new unit and is recruiting a small number of additional permanent and seconded staff to support this. This is likely to include seconded police officers and other experts, as appropriate. The exact mix of background and skills has not been finalised.

Food: Crime

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the written statement of 4 September 2014, on Elliott Review, how many police officers will work in the Food Crime Unit.

Jane Ellison: The Food Standards Agency (FSA) advises that the Food Crime Unit is likely to include seconded police officers and other experts, as appropriate. The exact mix of background and skills has not been finalised. In addition to officers working within the Unit, the FSA will continue to work with an extensive network of law enforcement partners (including the police and Local Authorities) to access and draw on intelligence to task investigations and to build links internationally.

Food: Crime

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the written statement of 4 September 2014, on Elliott Review, what budget the Food Crime Unit will be allocated for (a) setting up and (b) operating in financial years (i) 2014-15 and (ii) 2015-16.

Jane Ellison: The Food Standards Agency (FSA) advises that the set up and operating costs will be resourced from the FSA's operating budget. The FSA has committed to a review of likely future needs after two years. The Elliott report estimates that the Food Crime Unit will cost between £2-4 million per year. It is too early to predict exact costs at this stage.

General Dental Council

Paul Beresford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 2 September 2014, Official Report, on the General Dental Council, if (a) his Department and (b) the Professional Standards Authority For Health and Social Care will publish its review of the business case for the increase in years charged by the General Dental Council; and if similar reviews will be published of the Care Quality Commission increase in fees to dental professionals. [R]

Daniel Poulter: The business case referred to in the answer given on 2 September 2014, Official Report, column 203W, is the General Dental Council’s (GDC) consultation document setting out the GDC’s rationale for the proposed fee rise. The consultation closed on 4 September 2014 and the document is available at:
	www.gdc-uk.org/GDCcalendar/Consultations/Pages/Consultation-on-the-Annual-Retention-Fee-(ARF)-Level-for-2015.aspx
	The GDC is an independent body and therefore neither the Department nor The Professional Standards Authority for Health and Social Care as a formal role in reviewing the GDC’s case. However, in my role as Parliamentary Under Secretary for Health, on 3 September 2014 I met with the GDC where this issue was discussed.
	Each year the Care Quality Commission (CQC) consults on its proposed fee structure for the following year. The CQC intends to publish a consultation on its proposed fee structure for 2015-16 and draft impact assessment in the next month. The final impact assessment will be published in 2015. These documents will be available on the CQC’s website. Following consultation, the CQC will present its proposals to my Rt. Hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health.

General Practitioners

Andrew Love: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many GP practices (a) closed and (b) opened in (i) England, (ii) Greater London and (iii) Enfield in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Daniel Poulter: The Health and Social Care Information Centre collect information on the number of practices opened and closed, which is contained in the following table.
	It is important to note that these figures also include practice mergers and takeovers and do not provide an accurate representation of activity or service provision. In many cases, practices listed in these figures as having closed, will have in fact merged and will continue to see patients. In addition, in this time period the definition of general practice has changed to become a more stringent classification.
	
		
			 Practice closures and openings 2009-14 
			  England NHS London area Enfield Clinical Commissioning Group area 
			  Closed Opened Closed Opened Closed Opened 
			 2010 79 55 12 21 0 0 
			 2011 111 19 21 6 0 1 
			 2012 124 14 31 4 7 0 
			 2013 126 13 39 5 2 0 
			 2014 (to 31 August) 78 9 14 4 3 0 
			 Source: Health and Social Care Information Centre

General Practitioners

Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients (a) were invited to participate in and (b) responded to the recent GP patient survey.

Daniel Poulter: The survey was sent to 2.63 million patients. There was a 34% response rate to the survey, with 903,357 surveys being returned.

General Practitioners

Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when his Department will publish the results of the GP patient survey conducted on behalf of NHS England by Ipsos MORI.

Daniel Poulter: The latest GP Patient Survey (GPPS) results were published on 3 July 2014 and can be found on the GPPS website:
	https://gp-patient.co.uk/
	The data included in the July publication was collected in two waves during July to September 2013 and January to March 2014.

Health Professions: Training

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment his Department has made of the efficacy of Return to Practice courses by healthcare providers to address workforce supply needs and alleviate the need for the recruitment of health professional staff from overseas.

Daniel Poulter: Working in concert with National Health Service healthcare providers, Health Education England (HEE) is leading a programme of work to encourage nurses to return to practice. This work includes ensuring that the education programmes being commissioned are effective and meet the needs of patients and the NHS. All programmes are validated by the Nursing and Midwifery Council. In addition, HEE has developed a checklist of the elements required for an effective programme. Local Education Training Boards are working with Universities to review their programmes against this checklist.

Health Services

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department has taken to make stakeholders aware of its 2015/16 National Tariff Payments System: Engagement on national prices consultation.

Jane Ellison: The National Tariff Payments System: Engagement on national prices consultation ran from 18 July to 15 August 2014. To engage stakeholders with the consultation, Monitor and NHS England undertook the following activity:
	the consultation was published on Monitor and NHS England’s website;
	the consultation was sent to commissioners via NHS England’s July bulletin;
	to seek feedback, Monitor directly emailed the sector announcing the consultation, this included; patient groups, commissioners, care providers, professional organisations, clinical groups and other relevant national bodies;
	Monitor and NHS England held workshops in Birmingham, Leeds and London, covering acute and mental health care;
	Monitor and NHS England held a selection of webinars, providing an opportunity for participants to ask questions;
	Monitor carried out social media work, via Twitter and LinkedIn, interacting with Monitor’s digital content relating to the consultation and engagement work; and
	a press release by Monitor and NHS England was issued to all national and healthcare trade broadcast, print and online media outlets resulting in coverage in Health Service Journal, National Health Executive and Commissioning Review. Approximately 500 responses to the consultation were received. Monitor and NHS England are also having further conversations with a number of those who have provided feedback.

Health Services: Worcestershire

Karen Lumley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment he has made of the reconfiguration of health services in Worcestershire and its effects on Alexandra Hospital, Redditch.

Jane Ellison: The reconfiguration of local health services is a matter for the local national health service as they are best placed to know the needs of local people and how to deliver them in the best interests of patients.

Hearing Aids

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the policy of the NHS is on providing hearing aids for adults with mild to moderate hearing loss.

Norman Lamb: The provision of hearing aids for adults with mild to moderate hearing loss is a matter for local commissioners and the level of provision is based on the needs of the local population.

Hospitals: Waiting Lists

John Whittingdale: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people aged over 50 were on NHS hospital waiting lists for in-patient treatment on the latest date for which figures are available.

Jane Ellison: The information is not collected in the format requested. Consultant-led referral to treatment waiting times are collected and published each month and include information on the number of patients who are waiting to start treatment at the end of the month. However, these data do not include information on either the age of these patients or whether their treatment will involve inpatient treatment. Latest data shows 3.1 million patients were waiting to start treatment at the end of June 2014.

Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Sarah Wollaston: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will adopt the latest Inflammatory Bowel Disease Standards Group standards for the care of patients with the condition.

Norman Lamb: The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) provides the National Health Service and social care providers with advice on delivering effective healthcare. NICE has published guidelines on inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), set out in, Crohn’s disease: Management in adults, children and young people, published in October 2012 and, Ulcerative colitis: Management in adults, children and young people, published in June 2013. NHS England expects local commissioners and providers to consider the latest evidence and guidance when planning services for patients with all conditions, including IBD.
	NICE is currently developing a Quality Standard for IBD, covering both ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease, and invited submissions to its development group from key stakeholders as part of this process. Quality Standards are important in setting out to patients, the public, commissioners and providers the key elements of a high quality service in a particular area of care. The IBD Standards Group made a submission to the development group which drew on its new standards of care, published in October 2013. The Quality Standard is due to be published later this month.

Irritable Bowel Syndrome

Sarah Wollaston: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will fund the provision of a minimum of 1.5 specialist irritable bowel syndrome nurses per 250,000 people.

Norman Lamb: The Government has no plans to fund the provision of specialist nurses for irritable bowel syndrome. Through the Mandate, we have asked NHS England to deliver continued improvements in relation to the experience of care, including long term conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome. Local healthcare organisations, with their knowledge of the people they serve, are best placed to plan and employ a workforce based on clinical need and sound evidence.
	The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence is currently developing a quality standard for irritable bowel syndrome. This is due to be published in September 2014. NHS England expects clinical commissioning groups to take into account the needs of their population and for service providers to be fully aware of the new guidance and to examine the performance of their organisation and assess improvement in standards of care they provide for people with irritable bowel syndrome.

Medical Treatments

John Glen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate (a) his Department and (b) the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) have made of the savings to the NHS which have resulted from NICE rejecting treatments for routine use on the NHS; if he will list for each medicine which NICE has rejected for use on the NHS in the last four years the estimated cost saving which resulted from that decision; and if he will make a statement.

George Freeman: Neither the Department nor the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) have made any such estimate.
	NICE publishes costing templates to help support implementation of positive technology appraisal recommendations, but does not prepare information on the possible financial impact on the national health service where a treatment is not recommended in NICE technology appraisal guidance.

Medicine: Education

Ben Bradshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to increase the number of places for medical students to undertake training in GP practices.

Daniel Poulter: Health Education England (HEE) is the special health authority established by the Government to promote high quality education and training for the current and future National Health Service workforce backed by a near £5 billion annual budget.
	HEE have advised that responsibility for the development and organisation of placements for undergraduate medical students rests with individual medical schools, including those placements in GP practices. These are all negotiated locally to ensure high quality education programmes. HEE supports moves to increase opportunities for more students and trainees to obtain experience in GP practices.
	Additionally, HEE has been mandated to ensure that 50% of trainees completing foundation level training enter GP training programmes by 2016.

Members: Correspondence

David Winnick: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will arrange for a reply to be sent to the letter concerning a constituent sent by the hon. Member for Walsall North to the Walsall Clinical Commissioning Group on 7 July 2014, which was sent on to NHS England Patient Experience Team in West Bromwich; and if he will inquire into the reasons for the time taken to send a substantive reply to that letter.

Jane Ellison: NHS England has advised a reply to the hon. Member’s letter of 7 July 2014 was issued on 8 September 2014.
	NHS England has also advised the NHS Central Midlands Commissioning Support Unit has sought consent from the hon. Member’s constituent to investigate the concerns regarding the level of care received; they are awaiting a response.

Prescription Drugs

John Glen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Eddisbury of 8 July 2014, Official Report, column 237W, on medical treatments, which appraisals conducted by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence in the last four years resulted in a recommendation to use a medicine on the NHS and specified criteria for starting and stopping treatment with that medicine; which starting and stopping criteria were applied in each case; for what conditions each such treatment was recommended in each case; what the estimated eligible patient population was for each recommended treatment; and if he will make a statement.

George Freeman: Information about technology appraisals where the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has included criteria for starting and stopping treatment with the medicine appraised can be found within each published technology appraisal on NICE’s website at:
	www.nice.org.uk
	NICE has advised that collating the information requested would incur disproportionate cost.

Radiography

John Pugh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment his Department has made of the challenges experienced by NHS hospitals in recruiting consultant radiologists.

Daniel Poulter: The Department has set up Health Education England (HEE) to deliver a better health and health care work force for England. It is responsible for the education, training and recruiting for values of doctors.
	HEE is responsible for ensuring a secure work force supply, i.e. balance against demand and not a growth or reduction in the national health service work force.
	HEE published its national work force plan for England on 17 December 2013 which increased training places for clinical radiology by 1.3% to a planned level of 1067. The plan forecasts that this level will be sufficient to grow the consultant work force by 23% in 2020.

Radiography

John Pugh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent estimate his Department has made of the number of radiologists in training.

Daniel Poulter: Post graduate training for radiologists in England is commissioned locally by the 13 Local Education and Training Boards (LETBs) of Health Education England (HEE). HEE conducts a twice yearly stock-take of its LETBs seeking the number of radiologists in training. The last data available (April 2014) shows 952 individuals in radiology training at the time of the survey.

Smoke and Chimney Gases

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what information his Department holds on the quantum of premature death in the UK caused by the emission of wood smoke; and whether he plans to publish that information.

Jane Ellison: Figures for premature death in the United Kingdom caused by the emission of wood smoke are not calculated and the Department has no plans to do so.
	The Committee on the Medical Effects of Air Pollutants (COMEAP) has considered the wider issue of the potency of particulate matter from different sources in causing adverse effects on health. This work included consideration of evidence on biomass combustion. COMEAP’s current view (as published in reports in 2009 and 2010) is that particulate matter measured as PM2.5 is the most appropriate measure of air pollution for estimating the impact on mortality of long-term exposure to air pollution in the UK. COMEAP believes that the available evidence does not make it possible to distinguish with confidence between the effects of the different components of the ambient air pollution mixture, nor of different sources.
	COMEAP’s reports are available at:
	www.comeap.org.uk/documents/reports
	Wood smoke is a small contributor to the overall level of PM2.5, which is mainly related to traffic and industry emissions.

Varicose Veins

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people aged (a) 30 to 40, (b) 41 to 60 and (c) over 60 have been diagnosed with varicose veins in each of the last three years.

Jane Ellison: This information in not available in the format requested.
	In the table we have provided information concerning the number of finished admission episodes (FAEs)1 with a primary diagnosis2 of varicose veins3 for the years 2010-11 to 2012-134 for patients aged (a) 30 to 40, (b) 41 to 60 and (c) over 60.
	This is not a count of people as the same person may have had more than one episode of care within the same time period. We are not able to identify newly diagnosed cases, and have reported on hospital activity where the patient is receiving treatment for this condition. Additionally, this data only includes hospitalised cases and does not include those treated in primary care.
	
		
			  Age 
			  30 - 40 41 - 60 61 and over 
			 2010-11 8,271 19,361 15,816 
			 2011-12 6,599 16,986 15,470 
			 2012-13 5,899 15,667 15,342 
			 Note: Activity in English NHS Hospitals and English NHS commissioned activity in the independent sector. Source: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), Health and Social Care Information Centre 
		
	
	1A finished admission episode (FAE) is the first period of inpatient care under one consultant within one healthcare provider. FAEs are counted against the year or month in which the admission episode finishes. Admissions do not represent the number of inpatients, as a person may have more than one admission within the period.
	2The primary diagnosis is the first of up to 20 (14 from 2002-03 to 2006-07 and 7 prior to 2002-03) diagnosis fields in the Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) data set and provides the main reason why the patient was admitted to hospital.
	3Codes used to identify varicose veins include varicose veins of lower extremities, oesophageal varices, varicose veins of other sites, varicose veins of lower extremity in pregnancy, and genital varices in pregnancy.
	4HES figures are available from 1989-90 onwards. Changes to the figures over time need to be interpreted in the context of improvements in data quality and coverage (particularly in earlier years), improvements in coverage of independent sector activity (particularly from 2006-07) and changes in NHS practice. For example, changes in activity may be due to changes in the provision of care.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Arts

Harriet Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many and what proportion of (a) directors or senior managers and (b) trustees of the National portfolio organisations for 2015-18 are of BAME background.

Edward Vaizey: Of the 670 successful organisations for the National Portfolio 2015-18, 11.7% of management staff confirmed in their applications that they were from a BAME background. Information of this nature on trustees is not requested as part of the NPO applications but ACE are looking at this for future applications.

Correspondence

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether he has any plans to increase the number of replies within his Department’s working day standard; and if he will make a statement.

Helen Grant: This year, to date, the Department has replied to 90% of letters from hon. Members within the 20 working day standard. We aim to improve still further during the remainder of the year.

EU Law

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many times the UK has lost EU infraction proceedings since May 2010 which relate to matters that fall within his Department’s responsibility.

Helen Grant: There have not been any instances where the UK has lost infraction proceedings since May 2010 which relate to matters falling within DCMS’ responsibilities.

Football

Bob Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps his Department is taking to improve supporter involvement with football clubs.

Helen Grant: I continue to press the football authorities to better engage with their fans and have been encouraged by the introduction of a designated Supporter Liaison Officer into each of the Premier League and Football League clubs.
	A proposal from Supporters Direct for an expert group on supporter ownership in football is under consideration by Government and the football authorities, including terms of reference and timeframes of any resulting work in the area.

Football: Qatar

Steve Rotheram: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when he met the Secretary General of the Qatar 2022 Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy; and what plans he has for future meetings.

Helen Grant: I have not met the Secretary General of the Qatar 2022 Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy and do not currently have any plans for future meetings. However, the UK looks to maintain and build on its strong relations with Qatar.

Museums and Galleries

Harriet Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many and what proportion of (a) directors or senior managers and (b) trustees of the Major Partner Museums 2015-18 are women.

Edward Vaizey: Of the 21 Major Partner Museums 2015-18, 57.1% of directors are female. Of the senior management, management committees, boards and governing bodies or councils of these museums, 33.4% are female, of the 55.9% who disclosed this information. Information of this nature on trustees is not requested as part of the application process but Arts Council England are looking at this for future applications.

Pay

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the (a) highest and (b) lowest full-time equivalent salary paid by (i) his Department and (ii) its public bodies was in (A) 2010-11, (B) 2011-12, (C) 2012-13, (D) 2013-14 and (E) 2014-15; and if he will make a statement.

Helen Grant: The following table shows the lowest and highest full-time equivalent salaries paid to DCMS employees in each year specified. The highest salary is shown in bands of £5,000, in-line with the Department’s annual disclosure of senior salaries through its annual accounts and reports. The 2014-15 figures are shown as at 1 September, 2014.
	
		
			  Lowest salary (£) Highest salary (£) (given as range) 
			 2010-11 19,436 225,000 to 229,999 
			 2011-12 20,034 225,000 to 229,999 
			 2012-13 20,034 155,000 to 159,999 
			 2013-14 20,234 150000 to 154999 
			 2014-15 20,234 170,000 to 174,999 
			 Note: Figures as at 1 September 2014 
		
	
	DCMS does not hold this information in relation to its public bodies.

Viral Haemorrhagic Disease: West Africa

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will have discussions with UEFA and FIFA on the Ebola infection risk arising from the decision to stage the Ivory Coast versus Sierra Leone football match on 6 September 2014.

Helen Grant: I have not had discussions with FIFA or UEFA on this matter, however, I am assured by the Premier League that UK based Premier League players taking part in this fixture took advice from their individual club doctors. We understand that none of the players and staff of the Sierra Leone team had entered Sierra Leone in the 21 days up to the fixture as requested by the Ivory Coast and this was viewed to be an effective a quarantine measure.
	The Department of Health advised that the risk of Ebola infection at a football match is considered low. Exit screening measures, including body temperature measurement when leaving affected countries, are in place.

ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

Domestic Visits

Sheila Gilmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer of 18 June 2014, Official Report, column 618W, on official visits, what domestic visits he and his predecessor have made since January 2013; and what the purpose of each such visit was.

Amber Rudd: Previous and present Secretaries of State carry out official visits to different parts of the UK as part of their role, both for departmental business and for broader Government business such as regional Cabinet meetings. The destinations of regional visits are in the public domain at the time of the visit, but the Department does not keep a central log of such visits.

Members: Correspondence

David Winnick: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change when the member for Walsall North will receive a reply to his letter of 28 July 2014 to the Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Climate Change concerning the early closure of the Green Deal Home Energy Efficiency Improvement Fund.

Amber Rudd: A reply to the hon. Member was sent on 8 September 2014.

Nuclear Power

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the contribution of 4 September 2014 by the Minister for Business and Enterprise, on sustainable energy, what the evidential basis is for the statement that nuclear power is zero-carbon energy.

Matthew Hancock: The UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change estimates that the life cycle emissions associated with the generation of electricity from nuclear power groups are virtually zero-carbon with no direct CO2 emissions and less than 1% of the life-cycle CO2 emissions of natural gas or any other fossil fuel.

Television

Ben Bradshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much his Department spent on the purchase of televisions in (a) 2013 and (b) 2014 to date.

Amber Rudd: The Department has no recorded expenditure on the purchase of televisions in either year.

ATTORNEY-GENERAL

Members: Correspondence

Christopher Chope: To ask the Attorney-General when he passed the letter from the hon. Member for Christchurch about Mrs Kirkhope of Ferndown to the Chief Constable for Hampshire; and what steps has been taken as a result of that letter.

Jeremy Wright: Our records suggest that a copy of the letter should have been posted to the Chief Constable of Hampshire on 3 April. However, no record exists of whether it was received or not by his office. My office has since been in contact with Hampshire police about the matter and they have now received a copy of the letter and will be taking it forward.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Biofuels

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what information her Department holds on the level of biomass power generation in the UK located in (a) urban areas and (b) areas of above average atmospheric pollution; and if her Department will publish that information.

Dan Rogerson: DEFRA only holds information for biomass generation in England. Power-generating stations that burn only biomass are located in: Brigg, Lincolnshire; Ely, Cambridgeshire; Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire; Selby, North Yorkshire; Sleaford, Lincolnshire; Snetterton, Norfolk; and Telford, Shropshire. There are power generating stations that co-fire biomass with other fuels such as gas or coal, but the proportion of biomass burning in these is very low.
	DEFRA assesses air quality through a combination of fixed monitoring and modelling, and data is freely available on our website. While it is not straightforward to define “above average air pollution”, pollution levels can be found at:
	uk-air.defra.gov.uk/interactive-map
	by locating the nearest monitoring station and looking at the latest and historical data for that site. Modelled data is presented on a GIS map at:
	uk-air.defra.gov.uk/data/gis-mapping
	Locations can be searched and overlays are displayed for different pollutants.

Cetaceans: Faroe Islands

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent discussions her Department has had with the government of Denmark about hunting cetaceans in the Faroe Islands.

George Eustice: The UK continues to raise its opposition to the Faroese cetacean hunts at every appropriate opportunity.
	Most recently, in May 2014, the UK Commissioner to the International Whaling Commission (IWC) wrote to the Danish and Faroese governments to reiterate our concerns over the welfare and sustainability of their hunts. Prior to this, the UK ambassador to Denmark visited the Faroe Islands in April 2014 and raised the issue in a meeting with the Prime Minister and officials from their Fisheries Ministry.

Dogs

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many prosecutions there have been in England and Wales in the last five years for failure to comply with the collar and tag requirements in the Control of Dogs Order 1992.

George Eustice: Defendants proceeded against at magistrates court for offences under the Control of Dogs Order 1992 in England and Wales from 2009 to 2013 (latest available) can be viewed in the following table.
	Data has been taken from the Ministry of Justice Court Proceedings Database.
	
		
			 Defendants proceeded against at magistrates court for offences under the Control of Dogs Order 1992, England and Wales, 2009-20131,2 
			 Statute Offence 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 
			 Control of Dogs Order 1992, article 3 Owner/person i/c of a dog, w/o lawful authority/excuse, cause/permit to be in highway/place no collar—owner n/a attached 32 29 26 19 16 
			 1 The figures given in the table on court proceedings relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences it is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe. 2 Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services—Ministry of Justice.

Domestic Visits

Sheila Gilmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 18 June 2014, Official Report, columns 626-7W, on official visits, what domestic visits she and her predecessor have made since January 2013; and what the purpose of each such visit was.

Dan Rogerson: Information on Ministers’ meetings with external organisations is published quarterly on the Gov.uk site. This reflects the Government’s commitment to transparency. However, we cannot identify without incurring disproportionate cost every visit over the period for all Ministers.
	Relevant transparency reports can be found as follows:
	1 January to 31 March 2013:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/212312/defra-min-transparency-1213-q4.pdf
	There has been a delay in publishing transparency data for 1 January to 31 March 2014. We expect it to be available shortly.
	1 April to 30 June 2013:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/246396/Ministerial_expenses_-_1_April_to_30_June_2013.pdf
	1 July to 30 September 2013:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/265462/Ministers_Quarterly_return_July_to_September_2013.pdf
	1 October to 31 December 2013:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/320333/Ministerial_Quarterly_Transparency_information_-_October_to_December_2013.pdf

Food: Crime

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to her written statement of 4 September 2014, on the Elliott Review, what extra resources (a) her Department and (b) the Government will provide to the Food Standards Agency for the establishment and operation of the Food Crime Unit in financial year (i) 2014-15 and (ii) 2015-16.

George Eustice: Professor Elliott estimates that the Food Crime Unit will cost between £2 million and £4 million per year. The costs of a unit this size will be met within the Food Standards Agency’s (FSA) existing budgets, however it is too early to predict exact figures.
	No other budgets within the FSA will be cut and their core remit will remain food safety and consumer protection. Instead the FSA has used a recent restructuring exercise to bring together skills in intelligence and investigation and redirect them to resource the new Unit. The FSA is also bolstering its analytical and intelligence capability through recruitment and secondments from other agencies.
	The FSA has committed to review likely future needs after two years. At this point there will also be further consideration of budgetary implications.

Horse Meat

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she intends to publish the official report examining the causes of the 2013 horse meat scandal; and what the reason is for the delay in publication.

George Eustice: On 4 June 2013 the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs announced that Professor Chris Elliott would lead an independent review of Britain’s food system in light of the horsemeat fraud. The ‘Review into the Integrity and Assurance of Food Supply Networks’ focused on consumer confidence in the authenticity of all food products and any weaknesses in food supply networks which could have implications for food safety and public health. The review started in June 2013 and the final report was published on 4 September 2014.

Unmanned Air Vehicles

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many quadcopters or similar remote controlled devices her Department has purchased; for what purpose such quadcopters were so purchased; and at what cost to the public purse such quadcopters were so purchased.

Dan Rogerson: Core DEFRA has not acquired or used any quadcopters or similar remote controlled devices.

TRANSPORT

A65

David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if there are any plans to widen the A65 which connects Cumbria and North Lancashire to Yorkshire.

Robert Goodwill: The A65 runs from the M6 in Cumbria to Leeds in Yorkshire and is the responsibility of the five local authorities along its route. I am not aware that any of the local authorities have plans to widen the section of route that runs through their area.

Crewe-Derby Railway Line

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the need for extra capacity on the Crewe-Derby rail line.

Claire Perry: I have made no such assessment. Network Rail is currently undertaking a Long Term Planning Process in consultation with industry, local and other stakeholders to identify the strategic priorities for future development of the rail network following the 2014-19 Control Period.

Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many complaints his Department has received from people in Northern Ireland about the DVLA since July 2014.

Claire Perry: Since 1 July, the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency has received 38 complaints from Northern Ireland residents.

East Croydon Station

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make it his policy to increase capacity at East Croydon station; and if he will make a statement.

Claire Perry: Network Rail’s Sussex Route Study is considering options to enhance capacity right along the Brighton Main Line. A draft report for consultation will be published later this year, and a final report will be publish in 2015 setting out options for potential schemes beyond 2019.

Energy

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he is taking to reduce energy costs in his Department; and if he will make a statement.

Claire Perry: The Department for Transport has introduced a number of measures across its organisations to improve energy efficiency and reduce energy costs. These include:
	An overarching Operations Sustainability Strategy which enables the identification, management and delivery of energy efficiency measures;
	The development and implementation of the Carbon Trust endorsed organisation specific Carbon Management Plans by the Central Department and the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (former Driving Standards Agency estate);
	Rationalisation of offices to maximise the efficient and effective use of office space;
	Relocation of staff to more appropriate sites where functions have diminished or changed;
	Partial closing of buildings during low occupancy periods (i.e. Christmas, new year);
	Optimising building management systems to minimise the use of heating and cooling;
	Installation of boiler optimisation controls to improve boiler efficiency;
	Installation of voltage optimisation equipment at large administrative buildings to reduce electricity consumption;
	Lighting improvement programmes (including the installation of LED lights where appropriate and passive infrared (PIR) controls);
	Optimisation of IT servers;
	Improvements to building insulation;
	Updating desktop IT with more efficient models;
	Rationalisation of peripheral IT equipment such as printers and faxes with the introduction of multi-functional devices (MFDs);
	Installation of renewable energy sources such as wind turbines, air source heat pumps and photovoltaic cells where appropriate and cost-effective;
	Motorway lighting switch off scheme between midnight and 5 am in pre-assessed areas of the motorway network.
	The Department for Transport is committed to achieving all its sustainability targets and lowering energy costs through improving energy efficiency is seen as a key element in attaining that goal.

Level Crossings: Accidents

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many people were killed on unmanned rail track crossings in each year since 2011.

Claire Perry: The following table sets out the number of accidental fatalities at unmanned level crossings each year:
	
		
			 Accidental fatalities 
			  2011 2012 2013 20141 Total 
			 Total 5 7 9 7 28 
			 1 2014 is a part year; this figure refers to January to March.

Network Rail

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make it his policy to sell Network Rail to the train operating companies following the failure of the signalling system on the Great Western Rail line between Hereford and London Paddington on 21 July 2014.

Claire Perry: On 1 September Network Rail was reclassified to the public sector and the Department and Network Rail published a Framework Agreement setting out their new relationship. Reclassification is an independent statistical decision that does not change the structure of the rail industry. The Framework Agreement represents Government policy on Network Rail and there are no plans to change this.
	Following its reclassification, Network Rail is now an arm’s-length public sector body. The reliability of the signalling systems on its Western Route remains an operational matter for the company.
	Network Rail advises that a signalling failure at Worcester in the early morning of 21 July caused considerable delay to both First Great Western services to London and to London Midland services to Birmingham. Normal working was restored around midday. To address issues with the reliability of the mechanical signalling in the Worcester area, Network Rail has provided an additional maintenance team based at Worcester which is working to address underlying causes of poor reliability.

Network Rail

Stephen Barclay: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport with reference to the National Rail framework agreement published on 1 September 2014, when the National Audit Office will have access to Network Rail's accounts.

Claire Perry: The Comptroller and Auditor General will audit Network Rail’s Annual Report and Accounts.
	It is intended that the appointment of the Comptroller and Auditor General as external auditor to Network Rail will take effect from April 2015 to time with the start of the new financial year. Until then, Network Rail will continue to ensure that another appropriate auditor will carry out a statutory audit under the Companies Act 2006 and that its annual regulatory financial statement is also suitably audited.
	Paragraph 5.5 of the Framework Agreement explains that to enable the Comptroller and Auditor General to exercise his or her function as the statutory auditor, Network Rail will make available relevant information, documents and access to staff as necessary, including in the period prior to appointment, to develop a sound understanding of the Network Rail business and accounts.

Railway Stations: Accidents

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many people were injured as a result of staff negligence at railway stations in each year since January 2010.

Claire Perry: The Department does not hold this information as it is a matter for the individual train operators.

Railways: Greater Manchester

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of whether the new Northern Franchise will take account of increased connectivity to Reddish South and Denton arising from the better use of existing infrastructure through those stations.

Claire Perry: The Department for Transport is currently working with Rail North in the development of the specifications for the TransPennine Express and Northern franchises. In doing so we will take account of all relevant data and the views expressed in responses to the consultation.

Railways: Kingsnorth

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to provide a new rail halt at Kingsnorth in Ashford, Kent; and if he will make a statement.

Claire Perry: In line with our localism agenda, it is for local authorities to decide whether they want a new station that meets local transport needs. It is for Kent county council to decide on whether building a new station in Kingsnorth meets local transport needs.

Railways: North of England

Eric Ollerenshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps are being taken to ensure safety on Northern Rail and TransPennine Express trains running driver-only operations.

Claire Perry: There are currently no services on either the TransPennine Express (TPE) or Northern franchises that use driver only operation (DOO). In the consultation on the future of these franchises, which concluded on 28August, we stated that:
	“on the Northern franchise, we expect to require bidders to set out how DOO may be introduced onto suitable services. On TPE, this will be left at bidders' discretion.”
	Driver only operation is a safe method that is already the working practice on around 30% of existing franchise services (including for instance many commuter services in London and Glasgow).

Roads: Accidents

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many pedestrians who are (a) male, (b) female, (c) children and (d) aged over 65 suffered (i) fatal and (ii) serious injuries in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available.

Robert Goodwill: The numbers of reported pedestrian casualties (killed, seriously injured and slightly injured) in Great Britain who were male, female, children (aged 0 to 15) and aged over 65 in the years 2004 to 2013 are given in the following table:
	
		
			 Reported pedestrian casualties by gender, selected age and severity: GB, 2004-2013 
			  2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 
			 Male           
			 Killed 450 421 452 422 362 324 275 308 290 270 
			 Seriously injured 4,208 3,889 3,867 3,838 3,626 3,344 3,115 3,211 3,345 2,947 
			 Slightly injured 15,654 15,028 13,505 13,192 12,278 11,643 11,449 11,528 10,736 10,406 
			 All casualties 20,312 19,338 17,824 17,452 16,266 15,311 14,839 15,047 14,371 13,623 
			            
			 Female           
			 Killed 221 250 223 224 210 176 130 145 130 128 
			 Seriously injured 2,597 2,568 2,508 2,440 2,439 2,200 2,085 2,243 2,214 2,050 
			 Slightly injured 11,737 11,095 10,420 10,053 9,540 9,197 8,780 8,763 8,502 8,228 
			 All casualties 14,555 13,913 13,151 12,717 12,189 11,573 10,995 11,151 10,846 10,406 
			            
			 Child: 0-15 years           
			 Killed 77 63 71 57 57 37 26 33 20 26 
			 Seriously injured 2,262 2,071 1,954 1,842 1,727 1,623 1,620 1,569 1,525 1,332 
			 Slightly Injured 9,895 9,116 8,106 7,628 6,864 6,323 6,283 6,205 5,454 5,038 
			 All casualties 12,234 11,250 10,131 9,527 8,648 7,983 7,929 7,807 6,999 6,396 
			            
			 Aged over 65 years           
			 Killed 221 234 240 251 211 176 130 151 161 131 
			 Seriously injured 1,000 957 926 990 981 889 803 890 936 860 
			 Slightly Injured 2,358 2,255 2,124 2,069 1,991 1,949 1,727 1,840 1,886 1,845 
			 All casualties 3,579 3,446 3,290 3,310 3,183 3,014 2,660 2,881 2,983 2,836 
		
	
	Data for 2014 will be available in June 2015.

Written Questions

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what proportion of named day written questions were answered by his Department within the prescribed period in the (a) 2012-13 Session, (b) 2013-14 Session and (c) 2014-15 Session to date.

Claire Perry: Departmental performance information, for ordinary and named day parliamentary questions, is collated by the Office of the Leader of the House of Commons and submitted to the Procedure Committee. This is published on a sessional basis by the committee, and includes evidence regarding departmental performance. The monitoring report relating to the 2012-13 Session was published on 13 February 2014 as HC1046. The report covering statistics relating to performance during the 2013-14 Session will be published very shortly by the Procedure Committee.
	The Department for Transport has answered all named day parliamentary questions in the 2014-15 Session within the prescribed period.

HOUSE OF COMMONS COMMISSION

Carol Mills

Michael Fabricant: To ask the hon. Member for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross, representing the House of Commons Commission, whether the selection panel for the new Clerk of the House and Chief Executive was informed by Saxton Bampfylde of the Australian Senate investigations into the conduct of Ms Carol Mills; and when the panel became aware of those investigations.

John Thurso: I refer the hon. Gentleman to my answer of 8 September 2014, Official Report, column 430W, to the right hon. Member for Chelmsford (Mr Burns).
	The panel was not made aware of the investigations before reaching its conclusion.

Pay

Frank Field: To ask the hon. Member for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross, representing the House of Commons Commission, how many (a) direct, (b) outsourced and (c) agency employees on the Parliamentary estate are (i) paid less than the London living wage and (ii) employed on a zero-hours contract.

John Thurso: The House of Commons is an accredited London Living Wage Employer. In order to obtain our licence the House had to satisfy the Living Wage Foundation that no directly employed or contracted workers engaged to work on the Parliamentary estate are paid less than the London Living Wage (LLW). The House of Commons has gone further than its obligations under this licence by adopting a policy of assuring that all contractors supplying a service to the House, regardless of whether they work on the Estate, are paid at least a living wage.
	The House is committed to offering guaranteed minimum hours contracts to all directly-employed staff on call-off (zero hours) contracts and has recently completed a process of offering guaranteed minimum hours contracts to all affected staff. The only call-off contracts that remain relate to two employees who have yet to accept or who preferred not to accept our offer.
	We do not have information on whether or how many contracted workers are employed on zero hours contracts.

Speaker's Commission on Digital Democracy

Simon Burns: To ask the hon. Member for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross, representing the House of Commons Commission, what the total cost has been of the Speaker's Commission on Digital Democracy; and how many people are employed to work on the Commission.

John Thurso: The total cost assigned to the Commission on Digital Democracy's budget to the end of July 2014 is £146,512.
	There are currently four people employed to work on the Commission, although one of these spends 20% of his time working on other matters.

Speaker's Commission on Digital Democracy

Simon Burns: To ask the hon. Member for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross, representing the House of Commons Commission, who authorises expenditure for the Speaker's Commission on Digital Democracy; and out of which budget-heading such funding has been allocated.

John Thurso: Expenditure for the Speaker’s Commission was authorised by the Director General, Information Services. The Commission on Digital Democracy has a separate budget heading within the Department of Information Services budget.

CABINET OFFICE

Cybercrime

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what role the National Security Adviser has in relation to cyber-security.

Francis Maude: The National Security Adviser is the Head of the National Security Secretariat within the Cabinet Office, which supports the National Security Council and the Prime Minister in the full range of national security issues across Government, including cyber security, and ensures that departmental work is effectively co-ordinated. The Office of Cyber Security and Information Assurance sits within the National Security Secretariat and has responsibility for coordinating work to achieve the aims of the UK Cyber Security Strategy and oversees the National Cyber Security Programme.

Immigrants: Russia

Lady Hermon: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what estimate he has made of the number of Russian citizens resident in the UK; and if he will make a statement.

Brooks Newmark: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Caron Walker to Lady Hermon, dated September 2014
	On behalf of the Director General for the Office for National Statistics (ONS), I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question to ask what estimate he has made of the number of Russian citizens resident in the UK; and if he will make a statement.
	The latest estimates that are available for the number of Russian citizens resident in the UK are derived from Annual Population Survey (APS) data for the 12 month period of January to December 2013.
	The estimated number of Russian citizens resident in households in the UK was 35,000, with a corresponding margin of error of +/- 8,000. The margin of error refers to the 95 per cent confidence interval and is a measure of the uncertainty associated with making inferences from a sample. In this case we expect the true number of Russian citizens resident in households in the UK to be within the range 27,000 to 43,000 in 19 out of 20 possible samples drawn.
	The APS is the Labour Force Survey (LFS) plus various sample boosts. It is a household survey and so does not include people living in most types of communal establishment.

Pay

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office 
	(1)  what the (a) highest and (b) lowest full-time equivalent salary paid by his Office was in (i) 2010-11, (ii) 2011-12, (iii) 2012-13, (iv) 2013-14 and (v) 2014-15; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what the (a) highest and (b) lowest full-time equivalent salary paid by No. 10 Downing Street was in (i) 2010-11, (ii) 2011-12, (iii) 2012-13, (iv) 2013-14 and (v) 2014-15; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  what the (a) highest and (b) lowest full-time equivalent salary paid by (i) his Department and (ii) its public bodies was in (A) 2010-11, (B) 2011-12, (C) 2012-13, (D) 2013-14 and (E) 2014-15; and if he will make a statement.

Francis Maude: The Deputy Prime Minister’s Office and the Prime Minister’s Office are integral parts of the Cabinet Office.
	The following tables set out the highest and lowest full-time equivalent salaries paid by my Department and its public bodies, during the years specified:
	
		
			 Cabinet Office 
			 £ 
			  2009/10 2010/11 2011/12 2012/13 2013/14 2014/15 
			 Min 15,938 16,229 16,229 16,229 16,807 16,807 
			 Max 238,526 238,526 238,526 190,000 191,813 193,923 
		
	
	
		
			 Big Lottery Fund 
			 £ 
			  2010/11 2011/12 2012/13 2013/14 2014/15 
			 Min 13,459 12,632 13,853 13,853 13,853 
			 Max 140,000 140,000 141,400 140,000 140,000

Written Questions

Hilary Benn: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what proportion of named day written questions were answered by his Department within the prescribed period in the (a) 2012-13 session, (b) 2013-14 session and (c) 2014-15 session to date.

Francis Maude: Departmental performance information for ordinary and named day Parliamentary Questions is collated by the Office of the Leader of the House of Commons and submitted to the Procedure Committee. This is published on a sessional basis by the committee, and includes evidence regarding departmental performance. The monitoring report relating to the 2012-13 session was published on 13 February 2014 as HC1046. The report covering statistics relating to performance during the 2013-14 session will be published very shortly by the Procedure Committee.

PRIME MINISTER

National Security Council

Bob Ainsworth: To ask the Prime Minister whether the National Security Council has reviewed the collective strategic impact of policy changes since its creation in 2010.

David Cameron: Shortly after its creation in 2010, the National Security Council (NSC) approved a new National Security Strategy (NSS) to ensure a strong Britain in an age of uncertainty. There have been no fundamental changes to our policy on national security issues since then. The NSS has provided a sound basis to guide our response to subsequent challenges to our national security. Whitehall Departments are brought together through the NSC to take collective decisions at a time of increasing strategic uncertainty.

Radicalism: Wales

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Prime Minister what recent discussions he has had with the First Minister of Wales on tackling extremism; and whether he plans to discuss the issue of tackling extremism at his next Joint Ministerial Council meeting.

David Cameron: I regularly meet the First Minister of Wales to discuss a range of issues and will continue to do so.

BUSINESS, INNOVATION AND SKILLS

Biofuels: Imports

Graham Stringer: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what information he holds on the proportion of wood pellets imported from North America that were derived from roundwood in the latest year for which figures are available.

Matthew Hancock: The Government does not hold any information on the proportion of imported wood pellets from North America from roundwood.

Biofuels: Imports

Graham Stringer: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what information he holds on the level of wood pellet imports from (a) the USA and (b) Canada in each of the last three years for which figures are available.

Matthew Hancock: Data on the value and net mass of imports of wood pellets are published by HMRC in Overseas Trade Statistics. Data for the year 2011 to 2013 are shown in the following tables. Due to routine updating of the commodity codes by EUROSTAT, wood pellets were coded as ‘44013020—sawdust and wood waste and scrap, agglomerated in pellets’ in 2011, but then classified to the new code ‘44013100—wood pellets’ in 2012 and 2013. For this analysis, we have combined these two headings to provide a consistent series.
	
		
			 Wood pellet imports to the UK from the USA 
			  2011 2012 2013 
			 Value wood pellets imports (£) 32,516,769 59,993,226 196,894,259 
			 Net mass of wood pellet imports (kg) 274,453,183 475,336,518 1,684,810,418 
		
	
	
		
			 Wood pellet imports to the UK from Canada 
			  2011 2012 2013 
			 Value wood pellets imports (£) 77,712,194 108,073,728 168,603,061 
			 Net mass of wood pellet imports (kg) 591,780,847 854,602,676 1,355,464,003 
			 Note: Wood pellets were classified as ‘HS 44013020—sawdust and wood waste and scrap, agglomerated in pellets’ in 2011 and as ‘HS 44013100—wood pellets’ in 2012 and 2013. Source: HMRC Overseas Trade Statistics.

Business: Billing

Karen Lumley: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent assessment he has made of the effect of late payments on small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs); and whether his Department plans to bring forward any further measures to assist in SMEs with cash flow.

Matthew Hancock: In the May 2014 Government Response to our discussion paper, ‘Building a Responsible Payment Culture’, we set out measures to create greater transparency of payment practices and a more responsible payment culture. Through the Small Business, Enterprise and Employment Bill we are developing a requirement for large firms to publish their payment practices and a measure to prohibit contractual barriers to finance.
	In addition, we have committed to working with the Institute for Credit Management and signatories to strengthen the Prompt Payment Code. And the British Business Bank aims to address long standing, structural gaps in the supply of finance to businesses and provide diverse sources of funding for small and medium sized businesses.

Construction

Bob Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the level of construction output in (a) Coventry, (b) the West Midlands and (c) England in each of the last five years.

Nicholas Boles: Data on construction output is published by the ONS, in their statistical bulletin ‘Output in the Construction Industry’. This includes information on construction output for the regions of England, plus Scotland and Wales. No data for individual cities is published. This information has not been adjusted for inflation.
	
		
			 Value of Construction Output: current prices (£ million) 
			  2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 
			 England 97,068 102,005 106,456 102,195 106,468 
			 West Midlands 8,243 9,158 8,927 8,329 9,347 
			 Source: ONS

Higher Education: Admissions

Michael Fabricant: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the recent trends in the number of university applications from students from disadvantaged or minority ethnic backgrounds.

Greg Clark: The latest figures published by UCAS for the 2014 application cycle show that, as at the main UCAS deadline of 15 January, the application rate for young people from the most disadvantaged areas in England had risen to the highest ever level (20.7%). The detailed figures can be found at:
	http://www.ucas.com/news-events/news/2014/2014-cycle-applicant-figures-january-deadline-2014
	The latest data on ethnic background show that application rates for all ethnic groups rose in 2014, reaching new highs for most groups. The figures can be found at:
	http://www.ucas.com/data-analysis/analysis-notes

Local Enterprise Partnerships: East of England

Stephen Barclay: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills for what reasons the new Anglia LEP has received an extension on its loan facility but the Greater Cambridge Greater Peterborough LEP was refused a similar request.

Greg Clark: Growth Deals were bespoke to each LEP area and negotiated with Government based on each LEP’s multi-year Strategic Economic plan, taking into account their priorities for which interventions would drive economic growth in their area. Greater Cambridge Greater Peterborough LEP submitted two proposals to support existing business support initiatives. GCGP LEP prioritised one of the proposals, the Agri-tech fund, during negotiations, which received £1.55 million in 2015/16 in their Growth Deal.

Pay

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what the (a) highest and (b) lowest full-time equivalent salary paid by (i) his Department and (ii) its public bodies was in (A) 2010-11, (B) 2011-12, (C) 2012-13, (D) 2013-14 and (E) 2014-15; and if he will make a statement.

Jo Swinson: The following table shows the highest and lowest full-time equivalent salaries paid by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) in bands of £5,000 between 2010 and 2014.
	
		
			  Lowest full-time equivalent salary Highest full-time equivalent salary 
			 2010-11 10,000 to 15,000 220,000 – 225,000 
			 2011-12 15,000 to 20,000 200,000 – 205,000 
			 2012-13 15,000 to20,000 185,000 to190,000 
			 2013-14 15,000 to20,000 170,000 to175,000 
		
	
	As we have not competed the financial year 2014-15 we are unable to provide figures for that period at this time.
	This information is not held by BIS in respect of non-departmental public bodies.

Students: Loans

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills when his Department plans to make a decision about future funding of students and recognition of courses at the 23 private colleges which it suspended from recruiting further students in November 2014.

Greg Clark: The Department required all alternative providers to reapply to have their courses designated for student support for the 2014/15 academic year. All alternative providers, including those that had their designations suspended for the remainder of the 2013/14 academic year, are being reviewed against the new criteria, and have already received a final decision or have been invited to submit additional information.

Students: Loans

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what guidance his Department has issued to the 23 private colleges which it suspended from recruiting further students in November 2013 on their ability to advertise and recruit students to commence courses in September 2014.

Greg Clark: The Department required all alternative providers to reapply to have their courses designated for student support for the 2014/15 academic year. All alternative providers, including those that had their designations suspended for the remainder of the 2013/14 academic year, were told that they should not advertise their courses as attracting student support until such time as these course had been redesignated.

Textiles

David Ward: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills which projects have received how much funding under the Textile Growth Programme to date.

Greg Clark: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills does not hold the data in the format requested.

Textiles

David Ward: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what the key objectives are of the Textile Growth Programme.

Greg Clark: The key objectives of the Textile Growth Programme are to:
	Stimulate private sector enterprise by investing in work force skills, design and innovation capacity and modern plant and machinery in small and medium-sized enterprises.
	Strengthen local supply chains, support reshoring of textile manufacturing and promote sustainable growth.
	Create or safeguard over 1,000 private sector jobs at all skill levels in Greater Manchester, Lancashire and West Yorkshire.

Trade Agreements

Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what information his Department holds on whether the proposed Trade in Services Agreement treaty is likely to contain provisions to prevent increased regulation of the financial services sector.

Matthew Hancock: The UK Government is a strong supporter of the Trade in Services Agreement, which provides an opportunity to address barriers to trade in services through seeking to deepen services trade rules and regulatory disciplines and to address market access objectives. Given the crucial role of financial stability to overall economic stability, governments and regulators need to have the ability to closely monitor and regulate banks, insurance companies and other financial services providers. The TiSA text will contain a prudential carve-out which will fully protect the ability of UK and international financial regulators to regulate and take any prudential actions for the sake of financial stability or to protect investors, depositors, policy holders or persons to whom a fiduciary duty is owed by a financial service supplier.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Affordable Housing: Construction

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment his Department has made of the proportion of affordable homes delivered through section 106 agreements on sites of fewer than 10 homes in each of the last five years.

Brandon Lewis: The Government does not hold statistics on the proportion of affordable homes delivered through section 106 agreements on sites of fewer than 10 homes in each of the last five years.
	The Government's public consultation on proposed changes to national policy on section 106 planning obligations agreements closed on 4 May. Interested parties were invited to submit evidence on the impact of the proposed measures, both in terms of developer contributions to local infrastructure and affordable housing, and on unblocking stalled sites and increasing the pace and scale of small site development. Unrealistic Section 106 agreements result in no housing development, no regeneration and no community benefits. Over 300 responses were received and the Government is now carefully considering the evidence submitted before announcing the outcomes of the consultation.

Affordable Housing: Rural Areas

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment his Department has made of the potential effect of removing section 106 planning obligations from sites of fewer than 10 houses on the provision of affordable housing in rural areas.

Brandon Lewis: The Government's public consultation on proposed changes to national policy on section 106 planning obligations agreements closed on 4 May. Interested parties were invited to submit evidence on potential local impacts of the proposed measures both in terms of developer contributions and on increasing the pace and scale of small site development. Over 300 responses were received and the Government is now carefully considering the evidence submitted before announcing the outcomes of the consultation.

Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will issue guidance to the Planning Inspectorate on decisions where the location of a planning appeal is within an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Brandon Lewis: Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, along with National Parks and the Broads, have the highest status of protection in national planning policy in relation to landscape and scenic beauty. This is set out in the National Planning Policy Framework, which must be taken into account in the preparation of local and neighbourhood plans, and is a material consideration in planning decisions.
	In March 2014 we issued web-based planning guidance to support the policies in the Framework. This guidance is available to all decision makers at:
	http://planningguidance.planningportal.gov.uk/blog/guidance/natural-environment/landscape/

Council Tax

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of the cost to local authorities of holding council tax referendums.

Kris Hopkins: Further to the passage of the Localism Act, the Government published an impact assessment on the council tax referendums policy. A copy has been placed in the Library of the House.
	Notwithstanding, the costs will be significantly lower if a referendum is held at the same time as another election. Given a general election will be held in May 2015, the marginal cost to the public purse of holding a referendum next year alongside this would be minimal, other than the small costs of printing and counting the extra ballot papers.

Council Tax Reduction Schemes

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  with reference to the answer of 27 February 2014, Official Report, column 442W, on council tax benefits, when he expects to (a) begin and (b) publish the findings of an independent review into council tax support schemes; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what progress he has made in identifying the right data sources for an independent review into council tax support schemes; and with which local authorities his Department has been working.

Kris Hopkins: The Department is currently working with the Council Tax Partnership Forum and local authorities to identify appropriate and proportionate data for the review. The Council Tax Partnership Forum consists of representatives of local authorities, fire and rescue authorities, the Society of County Treasurers, the Society of District Council Treasurers, the Police Authority Treasurers Society, the Association of Chief Police Officers, the Society for Information Technology Management, Unitary Treasurers, London Councils, the Local Government Association, the Institute of Revenues, Rating and Valuation, and the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy.
	The timetable, coverage, process for data collection and detailed terms of reference for the review will be agreed and published in due course.
	Spending on council tax benefit doubled under the last Government, costing taxpayers £4 billion a year—equivalent to almost £180 a year per household. Welfare reform is vital to tackle the budget deficit by the last Administration.
	Our reforms to localise council tax support now give councils stronger incentives to support local firms, cut fraud, promote local enterprise and get people to into work. We are ending the last Administration's 'something for nothing' culture and making work pay.

Fire Services

Mark Spencer: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will estimate the Government spend per head of population on fire and rescue services in (a) Nottinghamshire, (b) the East Midlands and (c) England in each of the last three years.

Penny Mordaunt: The following table shows local authority expenditure on fire and rescue services, as well as the number of fire incidents attended, over the last decade. It illustrates the significant fall in the number of incidents attended, whilst average spending has remained broadly the same over that long-term period.
	
		
			  Expenditure per head (£) Fire incidents attended (number) 
			  Nottinghamshire England Nottinghamshire England 
			 2003-04 31.98 34.82 13,800 473,600 
			 2004-05 35.83 38.36 9,000 342,000 
			 2005-06 35.40 40.56 8,700 336,100 
			 2006-07 36.85 43.03 8,600 336,200 
			 2007-08 38.61 43.46 7,700 293,900 
			 2008-09 38.61 40.60 6,300 249,200 
			 2009-10 39.54 41.71 6,200 241,400 
			 2010-11 38.48 41.12 5,600 228,400 
			 2011-12 37.64 39.87 6,100 223,900 
			 2012-13 36.98 39.61 3,300 154,400 
			 Sources: Revenue Outturn forms and Office for National Statistic’s mid-year population estimates. 
		
	
	My Department does not publish statistics by the former Government Office Regions.
	Last year, Sir Ken Knight’s independent review of the fire and rescue services found huge variations in the way that local fire and rescue authorities operated. Services continue to spend according to the budget they are given, rather than to the risks they have to manage. Huge variations exist between how the 46 different fire authorities operate, with the cost per head of providing a service almost double in some areas to that of others. This did not seem to be related to whether they are large or small, rural or urban, deprived or affluent.
	Sir Ken concluded that there were significant opportunities for sensible savings such as through: sharing of senior staff, reforms to flexible staffing and crewing arrangements, better procurement, shared services, collaboration with emergency services and other organisations on service delivery and estates, sickness management, locally-led mergers and operational collaborations, new fire-fighting technology, preventative approaches and working with local businesses.

Fire Services: Pensions

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will provide additional funds to Essex fire and rescue service to cover the cost of payments to the firefighters injury pension scheme incurred in each financial year since 2006.

Penny Mordaunt: The regulations governing the firefighters’ pension schemes set out which payments are eligible for annual pension top-up grant claims by fire and rescue authorities and is paid by the Department. The statutory “Guidance for fire and rescue authorities on new financial arrangements for firefighter pensions with effect from April 2006” issued by the Department in 2006 provides guidance for fire and rescue authorities to implement the finance arrangements, including setting out which specific payments are eligible for top-up grant expenditure and which are not eligible. The guidance sets out that injury awards are not eligible expenditure for the top-up grant.
	We understand that, since the changes were implemented in 2006, Essex fire and rescue authority has incorrectly claimed certain injury payments as eligible expenditure through the top-up grant. We are in discussions with the fire authority on this issue.

Piers: Eastbourne

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government under what cost heading Eastbourne pier has been granted money to help in its reconstruction.

Penny Mordaunt: The Government announced that up to £2 million will be made available to Eastbourne council to help them recover from the fire at Eastbourne pier. HM Treasury will provide additional funding as required and this will be agreed as part of the 2014-15 supplementary estimates. The £2 million funding to Easbourne council will be used to support local businesses and traders. None of the funding will be provided for the rebuilding of the pier itself, which, I understand, is covered by the pier owner’s insurance.

Piers: Eastbourne

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether the money allocated by his Department to Eastbourne pier is covered in full or in part by insurance.

Penny Mordaunt: The £2 million of funding to Eastbourne council will be used to help counter the impact of the loss of the pier on local businesses and the community. None of the funding will be provided for rebuilding of the pier itself, which, I understand, is covered by the pier owner’s insurance.

Planning

Andrew Bingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of village or neighbourhood plans; and how many such plan have been lodged and accepted.

Brandon Lewis: Neighbourhood planning, for the first time, gives residents and individuals in businesses the opportunity to produce neighbourhood plans that have real statutory weight in the planning system and grant planning permission for development they want to see through neighbourhood development orders (including community right to build orders). Over 1,100 communities have taken the first steps towards producing a neighbourhood plan for their area and there has been overwhelming support for neighbourhood plans at the 27 local referendums held so far. The first 19 neighbourhood plans are now in force (made) and are part of the development plan for the area. Planning applications will be determined in accordance with the development plan unless material considerations indicate otherwise.

Right to Buy Scheme: North East

Nick Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many tenants exercised the right to buy in each local authority in Northumberland, Durham and Tyne and Wear in each of the last five years.

Brandon Lewis: The number of Right to Buy sales made by each local authority can found in Table 685 at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-social-housing-sales Figures for sales by private registered providers (housing associations) are not available at a local authority level.

Solar Power

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many planning applications were made for solar energy generation on farmland in each of the last three years.

Kris Hopkins: In publishing our new planning guidance in March, we took the opportunity to make clear to local councils the factors they should consider in relation to solar farms. These include making effective use of brownfield land and steering proposals away from good quality agricultural land. We also underlined that visual impacts need particular attention.
	To help focus these developments on brownfield sites, we are consulting on increasing the amount of solar that can be installed on commercial and industrial buildings without the need for a planning application.
	This Department does not gather statistics on the number of planning applications for solar energy developments by land use type. However, the Department of Energy and Climate Change's Renewable Energy Planning Database (RESTATS) includes information on a range of renewable energy projects above 0.01 megawatts, including applications for solar energy developments. The database tracks the progress of potential new projects from inception, through planning, construction and operational stages, and can be accessed at:
	https://restats.decc.gov.uk/cms/planning-database

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

West Africa

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what action her Department is taking to help tackle the ebola epidemic in West Africa; and if she will make a statement.

Lynne Featherstone: The current outbreak of Ebola poses a serious public health risk to West Africa and is deeply concerning. The UK is taking a leading role in working with the countries affected and with the international community to ensure that the outbreak is contained and help reaches those in need. In total, over £25 million of British funding is supporting the global effort to contain this disease. This includes £5 million of new direct funding to help partners working on the ground like the WHO, Red Cross and Médecins Sans Frontières? to treat victims and prevent the spread of Ebola in West Africa. Over £20 million of UK support is helping contain Ebola through commitments to multilateral institutions (the World Bank and the African Development Bank) and the EU.

HOME DEPARTMENT

British Nationality

Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department on what date section 65 of the Immigration Act 2014 will be brought into force.

James Brokenshire: Section 65 of the 2014 Act will insert new registration provisions into the British Nationality Act 1981 for people born to British fathers before 1 July 2006.
	The 2014 Act is being implemented in phases to ensure the provisions are brought into force in an orderly and effective manner. We have not yet set a commencement date for section 65.

Extradition

Jacob Rees-Mogg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate she has made of the number of extraditions of British nationals from the UK under the European arrest warrant that would not have proceeded had the proportionality test that has been introduced by the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 been in force at the relevant time.

James Brokenshire: A full impact assessment has been conducted on Framework Decision 2002/584/JHA. Details of this assessment can be found in Command Paper 8897 at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/326698/41670_Cm_8897_Accessible.pdf
	published on 3 July 2014.
	The Commission has been clear during negotiations that a bilateral treaty between the UK and the EU on any matters falling within the scope of the block opt-out is not feasible. Furthermore, on 16 January 2013, President Barroso responded to a European parliamentary question from Daniel Hannan MEP on this matter and stated that
	“the Commission sees no room for the conclusion of international agreements between the EU and the United Kingdom on such matters.”
	The Government has not undertaken an assessment of the number of extraditions of British nationals from the UK under the European arrest warrant that would not have proceeded had the proportionality test been in place at the relevant time. The proportionality bar is intended to ensure extradition is barred in the most minor cases, irrespective of the nationality of the person concerned.

Extradition: EU Countries

Dominic Raab: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department with reference to the answer of 14 May 2014, Official Report, column 620W, on arrest warrants, in addition to Slovakia, Latvia, Belgium and the Czech Republic, which other EU member states retain an absolute bar on extraditing nationals in non-European Arrest Warrant extradition cases.

James Brokenshire: In non-European arrest warrant cases, the following EU member states have an absolute bar on extraditing their own nationals:
	Austria
	Belgium
	Czech Republic
	France
	Germany
	Greece
	Latvia
	Luxembourg
	Slovakia
	Slovenia
	Spain
	In addition, Finland and Sweden have an absolute bar to extraditing their own nationals to countries other than Norway and Iceland.

Extradition: EU Law

Jacob Rees-Mogg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the possibility of the UK concluding a bilateral treaty with the EU on extradition instead of remaining bound by Framework Decision 2002/584/JHA.

James Brokenshire: A full impact assessment has been conducted on Framework Decision 2002/584/JHA. Details of this assessment can be found in Command Paper 8897 at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/326698/41670_Cm_8897_Accessible.pdf
	published on 3 July 2014.
	The Commission has been clear during negotiations that a bilateral treaty between the UK and the EU on any matters falling within the scope of the block opt-out is not feasible. Furthermore, on 16 January 2013, President Barroso responded to a European parliamentary question from Daniel Hannan MEP on this matter and stated that
	“the Commission sees no room for the conclusion of international agreements between the EU and the United Kingdom on such matters.”
	The Government has not undertaken an assessment of the number of extraditions of British nationals from the UK under the European arrest warrant that would not have proceeded had the proportionality test been in place at the relevant time. The proportionality bar is intended to ensure extradition is barred in the most minor cases, irrespective of the nationality of the person concerned.

Human Trafficking

Margot James: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the (a) nationality and (b) gender was of each suspected victim of trafficking referred to the Trafficking Victim Support Scheme operated by the Salvation Army in July 2014; in which (a) region and (b) county, each of the suspected victims was found; which agency referred each person to the scheme; in which town the shelter was in which they were placed for the relevant period; and what contact is maintained with each victim after he or she leaves the shelter to ensure he or she is not re-trafficked.

Karen Bradley: The data requested for July 2014 can be found on the Salvation Army’s website, at:
	http://www.salvationarmy.org.uk/uki/Anti_Human_Trafficking_Latest_Report
	Monthly reports are published on the website providing information on victims that have been supported. In the interests of the victim’s safety, only the region in which the victim was encountered will be provided.
	Upon leaving Government-funded care, a victim is provided with tailored support either to safely return home or integrate in the UK, if they are eligible to do so. Once a victim leaves the service, no formal mechanisms exist to maintain contact with them. However, ongoing support of victims is being considered as part of the review of the National Referral Mechanism.

Immigration

Heidi Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many individuals have been granted limited leave to remain with no recourse to public funds in each year since 2003.

James Brokenshire: The specific information that has been requested is not held centrally.
	The Home Office does publish statistics on extensions of stay in tables ex_01 to ex_02_o within the ‘Immigration Statistics’ release. A copy of the latest release, “Immigration Statistics April to June 2014” is available from the Library of the House and at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/home-office/series/immigration-statistics-quarterly-release

Members: Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she plans to reply to the letter to her dated 14 July 2014 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regards to Dr M. Naz.

James Brokenshire: A Home Office official wrote to the right hon. Member on 28 July 2014.

Members: Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she plans to reply to the letter to her dated 22 July 2014 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regards to Mr Kenny Edobor Friday Ake.

James Brokenshire: We understand that this question relates to correspondence dated 2 July 2014. A Home Office official wrote to the right hon. Member on 18 July 2014.

Members: Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she plans to reply to the letter to her dated 12 June 2014 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regards to Mr E. M. Bendoki.

James Brokenshire: I wrote to the right hon. Member on 4 September 2014.

Police: Training

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the cyber skills of police forces; and what steps she is taking to improve those skills.

Karen Bradley: Tackling cybercrime is one of the key objectives of the UK's Cyber Security Strategy. The Government has supported this with £860 million of investment over five years through the National Cyber Security Programme (NCSP). We have so far committed £70 million of NCSP funding in improving law enforcement agencies' ability to respond to this threat, including setting up the National Cyber Crime Unit in the National Crime Agency, and cyber teams in each of the Regional Organised Crime Units. We are also supporting the training of police officers and investigators in local forces in England and Wales, through the development of new online and classroom-based training packages by the College of Policing for 5,000 officers.

Radicalism

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many organisations have received funding from her Department to deliver the Channel programme in each of the last five years; and what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the programmes delivered by each such organisation.

James Brokenshire: Channel exists in every local authority area in England and Wales—the programme was rolled out nationally in April 2012. Each of the nine police regions receives funding to support the Channel programme. In most areas, the local authority and other partners work effectively together to support people at risk of radicalisation and getting drawn into terrorism. In order to ensure that all partnerships work consistently well, we are placing Channel on a statutory footing to secure the effective local co-operation that is required in all areas.

Unmanned Air Vehicles

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many quadcopters or similar remote controlled devices her Department has purchased; for what purpose such quadcopters were so purchased; and at what cost to the public purse such quadcopters were so purchased.

Karen Bradley: No quadcopters or other designs of unmanned air vehicles have been purchased by the Home Office.

WALES

Energy

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what steps he is taking to reduce energy costs in his Department; and if he will make a statement.

Alun Cairns: The Department has a number of energy efficiency measures in place and all staff are made aware of our sustainability requirements. The Department’s Cardiff office is a modern building with built in energy efficiency measures.

NATO: Newport

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what estimate he has made of the benefits to the Welsh economy of holding the NATO summit in Newport.

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what assessment he has made of the potential financial benefits to Wales arising from holding the NATO Summit in Newport and Cardiff.

Stephen Crabb: The NATO summit has shown the world that Wales is an excellent location to invest, set up a business or host world-class events. Many Welsh businesses, including those in the tourism and hospitality sectors, have benefitted from Wales’ successful hosting of the summit.
	A recent report from Barclays that looked at the NATO summit and its impact on Wales concluded that:
	“A successful Summit will create direct and indirect business opportunities for Welsh companies for many years to come”.
	I want to build a lasting legacy for Wales following the summit. As part of this, the Celtic Manor will host a UK investment summit in November which will showcase Wales as a great place to invest.

Pay

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what the (a) highest and (b) lowest full-time equivalent salary paid by his Department in (i) 2010-11, (ii) 2011-12, (iii) 2012-13, (iv) 2013-14 and (v) 2014-15; and if he will make a statement.

Alun Cairns: The following figures (which include allowances) are all full-time equivalent salaries. As the Wales Office has a relatively small staff complement, to protect the confidentiality of individuals, the highest and lowest full-time equivalent salaries are shown via reference to a range.
	2010-11:
	Highest (FTE): £80,000 to £85,000
	Lowest (FTE): £10,000 to £15,000
	2011-12:
	Highest (FTE): £80,000 to £85,000
	Lowest (FTE): £10,000 to £15,000
	2012-13:
	Highest (FTE): £80,000 to £85,000
	Lowest (FTE): £10,000 to £15,000
	2013-14:
	Highest (FTE): £80,000 to £85,000
	Lowest (FTE): £10,000 to £15,000
	2014-15:
	Highest (FTE): £80,000 to £85,000
	Lowest (FTE): £10,000 to £15,000.

Television

Ben Bradshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much his Department spent on the purchase of televisions in (a) 2013 and (b) 2014 to date.

Alun Cairns: The Wales Office did not purchase any televisions in 2013 or 2014 to date.

DEFENCE

Challenger Tanks

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department will spend in each year under the Challenger II Life Extension programme.

Philip Dunne: I am withholding the information as its disclosure would prejudice commercial interests.

Defence: Procurement

Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what progress has been made towards meeting the assumed savings in the (a) Complex Weapons Programme and (b) Submarine Enterprise Performance programme; and how much has been saved through each such programme to date.

Philip Dunne: The Complex Weapons Programme is on track to deliver significant cost benefits, providing greater flexibility and responsiveness to changing requirements, and supporting the industrial skills and capabilities needed to deliver Operational Advantage and Freedom of Action. Financial benefits of £196 million have so far been achieved against a forecast of £1.2 billion.
	The Submarine Enterprise Performance Programme is also making good progress, with the signature of two of the three Foundation Contracts, the establishment of a robust benefits delivery and audit process, and the formation of the Submarine Portfolio Office providing a coherent joint programming function across the Enterprise. Financial benefits of £356 million have so far been achieved against a forecast of £900 million.

Defence: Procurement

Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he plans to let the contracts for the managed service providers (MSP) before the end of September 2014; and if he will place relationship with the services and Defence Equipment and Support.

Philip Dunne: We continue to make excellent progress on the competition for the managed service providers (MSPs) and expect to place the first contracts in the next few weeks.
	The MSPs will have an important role in supporting the transformation of Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S) into a world class programme management organisation, capable of delivering the best possible equipment and support to our armed forces. Strengthening the relationship between the Service Commands and DE&S is a key aspect of the transformation programme.

Domestic Visits

Sheila Gilmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what domestic visits he and his predecessor have made since January 2013; and what the purpose of each such visit was.

Julian Brazier: This information could be provided only at disproportionate cost. Details of all ministerial overseas travel is published on a quarterly basis.

Joint Strike Fighter Aircraft

Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he was made aware by his US counterpart of the suspension of F35 engine deliveries as a result of subgrade titanium.

Philip Dunne: The Joint Strike Fighter Programme Office was notified in May 2014 of a potential problem with regard to the quality of the titanium used in the manufacture of a component, a vane arm, within the F35 engine. This incident only impacted the latest batch of engines in production. No engines from this latest production batch were destined for installation within any UK aircraft planned for delivery. All suspect vane arms have now been removed from the F35 inventory and all engines waiting to be delivered have been replaced with new vane arms.

Saudi Arabia

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many (a) civilian staff of his Department based in the UK, (b) military personnel based in the UK, (c) civilian staff of his Department based in Saudi Arabia and (d) military personnel based in Saudi Arabia were employed by the (i) Saudi Arabian National Guard Communications Project and (ii) Ministry of Defence Saudi Armed Forces Project on 1 April 2014; and what the function is of each of those projects.

Philip Dunne: The number of civilian and military staff based in the UK and in Saudi Arabia working on both the Saudi Arabian National Guard Communications (SANGCOM) Project and the Ministry of Defence (MOD) Saudi Armed Forces Projects (MODSAP) on 1 April 2014 is shown in the table. The Saudi Arabian Government reimburses the UK MOD for these staff costs and there is, therefore, no cost to the UK taxpayer.
	
		
			 Manpower number as at 1 April 2014 SANGCOM project MODSAP 
			 UK-based civilian staff 1 69 
			 UK-based military staff 0 42 
			 Saudi Arabia-based civilian staff 28 32 
			 Saudi Arabia-based military staff 20 50 
		
	
	The function of the SANGCOM Project is to support the United Kingdom's commitment to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia by acquiring and supporting modem communications capabilities for the Saudi Arabian National Guard.
	The function of the Ministry of Defence Saudi Armed Forces Projects is to support the United Kingdom's commitment to the defence of Saudi Arabia through the supply of modem military aircraft, naval vessels, weapons and associated support services to the Saudi armed forces.

Warships

Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what process the Royal Navy uses when deciding the names of new vessels; and whether names of UK cities can be used for the Type 26.

Philip Dunne: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport (Oliver Colvile), on 5 September 2014, Official Report, column 363W.
	As a new class of Royal Navy warship, the naming of the Type 26 Frigates will follow a theme, and this is under consideration. The Ships’ Names and Badges Committee has noted the proposal to use names of UK cities.

EDUCATION

Apprentices

Karen Lumley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what recent assessment she has made of the role of schools in encouraging pupils to consider apprenticeships post-16.

Nicholas Boles: Schools are legally required to secure independent careers guidance for 12- to 18-year-olds that includes information on the full range of education and training options, including apprenticeships.
	In 2013, Ofsted’s study of the early implementation of this duty found that apprenticeships were rarely promoted effectively, especially in schools with sixth forms.
	The Government has published new statutory guidance and departmental advice on careers guidance and inspiration, informed by the Ofsted study, which is effective from September 2014. This provides a clear framework and practical support for schools to help them inspire their pupils about the options open to them. The guidance is clear that schools should give employers and other providers delivering apprenticeships the opportunity to inform pupils directly about what they offer. It emphasises that apprenticeships and university offer two equally effective routes to a successful career.
	Ofsted is now giving careers guidance a higher priority in school inspections and we will work with them to monitor carefully the impact of the statutory guidance and the wider improvements that the Government has put in place.

Domestic Visits

Sheila Gilmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Education pursuant to the answer of 18 June 2014, Official Report, column 621W, on official visits, what domestic visits she and her predecessor have made since January 2013; and what the purpose of each such visit was.

Nick Gibb: The Department for Education does not hold a list of domestic visits in the format requested. Information about visits, meetings and events held in the diary is not set out in a way that would enable a list to be compiled without exceeding the cost threshold. Domestic visits attended by the current and former Secretary of State would include attendance at events, visits to schools and other institutions as well as external meetings held from May 2010. To compile a list of all domestic visits stating the purpose of each in an accessible format would therefore exceed the cost threshold.

Energy

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps she is taking to reduce energy costs in her Department; and if she will make a statement.

Nick Gibb: The Department for Education has already made excellent progress in reducing its energy costs by £1.4 million per annum since 2009-10 to 2013-14. This is despite the cost of energy increasing during the same period.
	The Department has achieved this primarily through low and no cost energy efficiency measures, a reduction in the size of the Department’s estate and a small number of capital investments. These measures have also contributed to a reduction in associated greenhouse gas emissions of 44% during the same period.
	Plans to reduce energy costs further include: continuing to refine building (energy) management system programmes; conducting annual audits of all key plant and equipment to identify cost-effective options for asset replacement and enhancement; staff awareness campaigns; monitoring and targeting unexpected building energy profiles through automated meter reading devices across the estate; and estate rationalisation and co-location.

Languages: Education

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps she is taking to broaden the number of foreign language subjects available to state school students in secondary education.

Nick Gibb: Maintained secondary schools must teach a modern foreign language to all pupils at key stage 3 (ages 11-14). The choice of which language or languages to teach is for schools to make, though the great majority of secondary schools teach one or more of French, German or Spanish, with small numbers teaching an additional language or languages.
	Awarding bodies determine which languages they will offer as GCSE qualifications. Schools decide whether to enter pupils for any particular language GCSE. The English Baccalaureate is already encouraging more young people to take a language at GCSE level. Take-up of a modern foreign language by key stage 4 pupils in England increased by over 20% between 2012 and 2013.

Special Educational Needs

Stephen McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education pursuant to the answer of 1 July 2014, Official Report, column 551W, on pupils: disadvantaged, whether her Department holds records on how much of the Pupil Premium is used to fund support for those pupils with special educational needs who are economically deprived, looked after by the local authority or who have left care via adoption or other routes.

Edward Timpson: The information requested could be collated only at disproportionate cost.

JUSTICE

Legal Aid

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of recent changes to legal aid.

Shailesh Vara: The Ministry of Justice and the Legal Aid Agency keep the legal aid scheme under constant review, both in terms of expenditure and the impact of reforms.
	The Government is currently undertaking a review of the operation of the mandatory telephone gateway. It will undertake a full post-implementation review of the legal aid provisions within the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 (LASPO) within three to five years of implementation.

Prison Population

Andrew McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice What forecasts the Government has made of future trends in the prison population.

Andrew Selous: Projections of the prison population are published annually in November. We are currently seeing a higher population driven by changes in the case mix, including more sex offenders being sentenced to custody. Updated projections will be published on 27 November. As these are National Statistics, I cannot comment on what they will show.
	I can assure the House we will always have enough prison capacity for those committed by the courts. We currently have over 2,000 spare prison places, a further 2,000 by April, Wrexham in 2017, and by the end of this Parliament will have 3,000 more adult male places than we inherited.

Prison Places

Martin Vickers: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps his Department is taking to ensure that there will be sufficient prison places available for those offenders given custodial sentences over the next 10 years.

Andrew Selous: We will always have enough prison capacity for those committed by the courts and are committed to increasing overall capacity by more than 3,000 new places by 2017.
	Decisions on the future size of the prison estate will reflect the current and projected prison population.

Youth Custody

Julie Hilling: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what recent assessment he has made of the potential effect of his plans for youth custody on (a) young children and (b) girls.

Andrew Selous: We have considered the impacts of our Transforming Youth Custody proposals on different groups. We believe that secure colleges have the potential to deliver improved educational and rehabilitative outcomes for all the young people they will accommodate.

Probation Service

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the Government's strategy is on the future of the probation service.

Andrew Selous: Overall reoffending rates have barely changed over the last decade. Under our Transforming Rehabilitation Reforms, we will draw on the best services from across the public, private and voluntary sectors so that we can deliver better rehabilitation support to more offenders, reduce the number of potential victims and make our communities safer. For the first time in recent history, virtually every offender released from custody will receive statutory supervision and rehabilitation in the community.

Magistrates: Training

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will place in the Library a copy of the National Annual Report of Magistrate Training mentioned in the Quarter 3 performance report of the Judicial College; and whether subsequent training reports will be published.

Michael Penning: This report on magistrates training is an internal document and is provided for judicial monitoring purposes only. I am therefore unable to comply with your request.
	The Judicial College delivers a programme of core courses and prepares training packs for magistrates which are delivered under the direction of Magistrates’ Area Training Committees (MATCs). The college has a statutory responsibility to prepare the National Summary of MATC Annual Reports for the Lord Chief Justice, as Head of the Judiciary, and its purpose is to satisfy him that magistrates training is being appropriately addressed. The most recent report (for 2012/13) shows the intended learning was delivered and that magistrates felt it met their needs. The Judicial College publishes a report on the training it delivers to the judiciary:
	http://www.judiciary.gov.uk/publications/review-of-activities-2012-2013/
	and magistrates’ training is also covered in the Lord Chief Justice’s Annual Report 2013
	http://www.judiciary.gov.uk/publications/lcj-report-2013/
	The Judicial College is part of the Judicial Office (JO) which supports the judiciary in discharging its responsibilities under the Constitutional Reform Act 2005. The report was mentioned in the College Activities Report (which is publicly available) to confirm it had been done.

Sexual Offences: Rehabilitation

David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what studies his Department has commissioned on the relative efficacy of prison-based treatment as against treatment in the community for sex offenders convicted of similar offences.

Andrew Selous: It is difficult to compare the efficacy of programmes delivered in prison and in the community, as at the moment they are different programmes and the sexual offender populations accessing treatment in the two settings may also differ in a way that could affect comparison.
	The National Offender Management Service’s (NOMS) programmes delivered to sexual offenders across prison and probation have been developed in line with the available evidence to address the needs of this group. They have been designed in accordance with the principles of effective intervention, and have all been accredited by an independent body of experts, the Correctional Services Accreditation and Advisory Panel. The latest published reconviction outcome study for the NOMS Core Sex Offender Treatment Programme (SOTP) delivered in prison was conducted in 2003 (Friendship, Mann & Beech, 2003.
	NOMS are working towards the development of a new programme for sexual offenders which will be delivered across prison and in the community. As part of this development, NOMS will be commissioning research into the best methodology to evaluate this programme as it is rolled out across both settings.

Sexual Offences: Rehabilitation

David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  what the reoffending rate is of sex offenders who have undergone (a) the sex offender treatment programme at HMP Northumberland (formerly Acklington) and (b) the Northumbria Sex Offender Groupwork programme in the community;
	(2)  what the national reoffending rate is of sex offenders who have undergone the sex offender treatment programme (a) in prison and (b) in the community.

Andrew Selous: The Ministry of Justice publishes proven re-offending rates for adult and juvenile offenders on a quarterly basis. However, these rates cannot be provided for offenders who have undergone the sex offender treatment programme in prison or in the community as the information held centrally on re-offending does not separately identify these offenders.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Diplomatic Service

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he is taking to protect staff working in HM embassies from security threats.

David Lidington: Staff in our overseas posts face a range of security threats, which are currently running at a historically high level. We monitor the risks carefully, and manage them rigorously using a mix of threat assessment, security advice, staff training and provision of specialist security equipment.

Estonia

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the strength of business relations between the UK and Estonia.

David Lidington: Business relations between the UK and Estonia are stronger than ever and continue to improve. In 2013 the UK was the eighth largest exporter to Estonia, totalling 571.1 million EUR or 4.2% of total Estonian imports. This share has more than doubled since 2010. In 2013 the top UK exports were: machinery and mechanical appliances; food and beverages; vehicles, aircraft, vessels; transport equipment; mineral products; chemicals or allied industries. In 2013 Estonian exports to the UK totalled 294.7 million EUR or 2.4% of Estonian exports. Through joint planning and activity, UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) are continuing to deepen their partnership with their Estonian counterparts.

Middle East

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he is taking to support the Israeli government in its campaign against Hamas.

Tobias Ellwood: Throughout Operation Protective Edge, we condemned Hamas’ indiscriminate attacks on Israeli civilians and reaffirmed our support to Israel’s right to self defence. We have also repeatedly made clear that Hamas must renounce violence, recognise Israel and accept previously signed agreements. Hamas need to be part of any ceasefire negotiations in response to the current Gaza crisis—we support Egyptian-led efforts to this end. Today, the UK has three objectives—to maintain a ceasefire, to alleviate humanitarian suffering, and to get meaningful negotiations underway so that we can begin to address the underlying causes of the conflict on both sides, which is the only hope of breaking this cycle of violence and devastation once and for all. We stand ready to play our full part in supporting a settlement.

Russia

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with his European counterparts on further sanctions against Russia.

David Lidington: Since the start of the Ukraine crisis, the Prime Minister and the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), and I have regularly discussed Russia, including sanctions, with European colleagues. Most recently, further sanctions were discussed at the Gymnich on 29 and 30 August, the European Council on 30 August, and at the NATO summit in Wales on 4 and 5 September.

Saudi Arabia

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Saudi Arabian government over its financial and logistical support for Islamic State terrorists in Syria.

Tobias Ellwood: The UK and Saudi Arabia maintain a close dialogue on a broad range of counter terrorism issues, including terrorist financing and logistical support. The Saudi Government is acutely aware of the threat from terrorist groups such as Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) to their own and global security and they have been at the forefront of efforts to combat the threat facing us all. Saudi Arabia has a comprehensive set of laws in place to prevent terrorist financing, which they vigorously enforce.

Sri Lanka

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he plans to take through the Commonwealth and UN to secure Sri Lanka's compliance with the UN Human Rights Committee's resolution on the war crimes and civil rights investigation.

Hugo Swire: We welcome the passing of the UN Human Rights Council resolution on Sri Lanka on 27 March, which established an international investigation into alleged violations and abuses of international law on both sides of the military conflict in Sri Lanka, in addition to calling for progress on human rights and reconciliation. The UK was a main co-sponsor of the resolution and will continue to give full support to the Office of UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in establishing an international investigation, as mandated by the UN Human Rights Council.
	The UN resolution calls upon the Sri Lankan government to co-operate with the OHCHR in the implementation of the resolution. We continue to urge the Sri Lankan government to co-operate with the OHCHR, and to view the international investigation as an opportunity to address the grievances of the past in the spirit of lasting peace and reconciliation. We also continue to call for the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group, and the Commonwealth Secretary-General, to use their leverage to encourage Sri Lanka’s co-operation.

Ukraine: Russia

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what contingency plans are in place for the eventuality that Russia continues to place troops in Ukraine.

David Lidington: The situation in eastern Ukraine is of grave concern. The 18 August European Council condemned the increasing inflows of fighters and weapons from the territory of the Russian Federation into eastern Ukraine as well as the aggression by Russian armed forces on Ukrainian soil. It called upon the Russian Federation to immediately withdraw all its military forces from Ukraine. In response to the ongoing action against Ukraine’s territorial integrity the EU has imposed sectoral measures against Russia in addition to measures already imposed in response to the illegal annexation of Crimea. We called on the European Commission to continue work on further measures to act as a further deterrent to Russia and to ensure we are prepared to apply greater costs if Russia continues on its path, this work is progressing swiftly in Brussels. On 5 September, The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my hon. Friend the Member for Runnymead and Weybridge (Mr Hammond) expressed determination to impose further sanctions in response to Russia’s actions in Ukraine if a ceasefire was not reached and upheld.
	NATO has also been working to help strengthen Ukraine’s security capability, and undertaken a number of reassurance measures for Allies. The UK is playing an active role and offering significant contributions to NATO efforts. As part of reassurance measures, the UK is contributing four Typhoons to NATO’s Baltic Air Policing mission and a Sentry E-3D aircraft, as part of the NATO Airborne Early Warning and Control Force. We are also augmenting NATO exercises in which we were already participating and contributing to new ones. At the NATO Summit on 5 September, the Prime Minister stated that the UK would always uphold Article 5 commitments to collective self-defence and expressed the hope that a multi-national spearhead force deployable anywhere in the world in just 2 to 5 days would be formed.

Ukraine: Russia

David Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of whether the actions of the Russian Federation in relation to Ukraine are compliant with the provisions of the Budapest Memorandum on Security Assurances.

David Lidington: The situation in Ukraine remains of very grave concern to the UK, and Russia's actions have presented the most serious security crisis in Europe since the end of the Cold War. With international partners we have unreservedly condemned all illegal interventions by Russia in Ukraine. In particular, the UK does not, and will not, recognise the illegal annexation of Crimea by Russia. This violates the UN Charter, is illegal under international law and breaches the commitments Russia made in the Budapest Memorandum. That is why Russia has been isolated in the Security Council and in the wider international community. We have, as required under the the terms of the memorandum, consulted the US frequently since the occupation and annexation of Crimea and destabilisation of the east by Russian-backed separatists. Both the US and UK continue to ensure that Russia pays a price through sanctions for the annexation of Crimea and its incursion into south-eastern Ukraine; we will maintain our pressure on Russia to use its influence to de-escalate the situation in the east.
	The Budapest Memorandum does not specify any military commitments. In this Memorandum, in return for Ukraine giving up its nuclear weapons, Russia joined the UK and US in reaffirming their obligation to "refrain from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of Ukraine, and that none of their weapons will ever be used against Ukraine except in self-defence or otherwise in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations." Russia is in clear breach of those commitments as well as a number of other international obligations and commitments, including under the UN Charter and the OSCE Helsinki Final Act.